Cape Town | Tuesday
SOUTH Africa will not allow US warships to dock in its ports while the military campaign against Afghanistan continues, a press report on Monday quoted a senior official as saying.
Sipho Pityana, the director general of foreign affairs, said South Africa had taken this position as the country “will not collaborate with the US militarily” in the war against terrorism, the Cape Times reported.
“We would not be in a position to offer the US the kind of assistance … to base its ships in South Africa to advance its campaign against Afghanistan,” he said.
“Our position is that our cooperation in the campaign against international terrorism does not include military cooperation.”
The South African government said shortly after the September 11 attacks that it would not offer the United States military support unless the United Nations called on it to do so.
Pityana said South Africa wants the fight against terrorism to be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations and would raise the issue at a UN general assembly session which begins on Saturday.
South Africa will be represented in the UN debate by President Thabo Mbeki and Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. – AFP