Council for Namibia holds extraordinary session in Vienna, urges sanctions.

Council for Namibia holds extraordinary session in Vienna, urges sanctions

The United Nations Council for Namibia resolved on 7 June "to promote the imposition of comprehensive mandatory sanctions against South Africa by the Security Council," during its next session on the question of Namibia, to ensure South Africa's compliance with the implementation of the United Nations Plan for Namibian independence.

The Council for Namibia urged those permanent menbers of the Security Council "who have shielded South Africa in the past" to display the necessary political will to make the imposition of such sanctions possible.

The Council for Namibia acted in adopting the Vienna Final Document (A/40/375-S/17262) by acclamation at the conclusion of a week-long series of extraordinary plenary meetings held at the Vienna International Centre (3-7 June). The meetings were held to recommend action in the face of South Africa's refusal to bring about the early independence of Namibia through United Nations-supervised elections, as called for in the United Nations Plan. The Security Council considered the situation in Namibia from 10 to 19 June. (For details, see page 10.)

In the Vienna Document, the Council for Namibia expresses "profound indignation and grave concern" at South Africa's decision to install a "puppet administration" in Namibia on 17 June and urged all States not to accord any recognition to the so-Called "interim government".

The Council urged the Security Council to exercise decisively its authority to ensure implementation of resolutions 385 (1976), 435 (1978) and 539 (1983). It also urged the Council to take strong action against South Africa's "dilatory manoeuvres and fraudulent schemes" to bypass or undermine the United Nations Plan for Namibia's independence, as contained in resolution 435.

The Council asked Governments "to take every measure necessary to isolate South Africa politically, economically, militarily and culturally, pending the imposition of mandatory sanctions against it by the Security Council". It also called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to terminate assistance to Pretoria, urging Fund members to take action towards that end.

The international community was called on "to reject the policy of 'constructive engagement' pursued by the United States" which encouraged the intransigence of South Africa.

The Council firmly rejected and condemned the "persistent attempts by the United States and the South African...

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