Fostering Solidarity to build a just and better world: Conference in support of the people of Palestine, Western Sahara & Cuba

Meeting report

First Session: Opening Plenary
Opening remarks by Moderator
The Moderator of the Opening Plenary, Prof S Mayatula (ANC) welcomed Committee Members, the members of the diplomatic corps, the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Marius Fransman and every other participant to the meeting. He extended a special welcome to a South African icon and liberation struggle veteran, Mr Ahmed Kathrada, who was in attendance. The Committee and the conference in general were pleased to welcome Mr Kathrada to the meeting. Prof Mayatula acknowledged an apology from the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Mr Obed Bapela, who was unable to attend the conference due to other commitments. After outlining some housekeeping rules relating to time and decorum, Prof Mayatula handed over to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Mr T Magama (ANC) to make an opening address and statement of objectives.

Opening Address and Statement of Objectives
The Chairperson acknowledged the presence of Mr Ahmed Kathrada who was an icon and veteran within the South African liberation struggle. He welcomed the Ambassadors and representatives from the embassies of Palestine, Cuba, Western Sahara and Algeria. The matters which appeared on the agenda were very critical and the gathering was the first of its kind hosted by Parliament and bringing together various groups to express solidarity to fellow people around the world who were oppressed and lived in occupied territories. The theme of the conference was an issue which was close to the heart of the South African government. This conference was taking place at a time when there was much turmoil occurring on the African continent and around the world.

As human beings, it was inevitable to empathise and sympathise with the sufferings of other human beings. At a sub-conscious level, the plight of fellow brethren affected the well-being of everyone concerned. This was the case with the situations in Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara. Parliament had undertaken quite an extensive engagement with the issues affecting these countries, and this conference was a culmination of all the work which had been done. In an effort to get a better understanding, visits had been made to Palestine, the Gaza strip and Wesbank. This gave participants a very good idea of the sufferings of the Palestinian people.

It was important to remember that former President Nelson Mandela had said that the freedom of South Africa could not be complete unless the matter of Palestine was resolved. Both countries were inextricably linked. The freedom South Africa enjoyed today could not be taken lightly and it was important to caution against complacency, as South Africans won their freedom just 20 years ago and had become comfortable and were becoming blind to the sufferings of other peoples. The price paid for South African freedom included the blood of non-South Africans. He listed the examples of solidarity actions in Angola, Cuba, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Lesotho, Europe and many other countries. These peoples supported South Africa and bore grave consequences without any expectation of benefit or reward. He quoted liberations struggle leaders like Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela.

The Chairperson said South Africa was going to continue to stand tall as a monument of human solidarity and collective moral action. The continuous occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the wide-scale theft of the natural resources of the Saharawi people was unacceptable. The Kingdom of Morocco was acting with so much impunity and was responsible for holding Western Sahara as the last colony on the African continent. This was outrageous, because Morocco enjoyed the support of some Members of the UN Security Council. It was because of this reason that the UN Security Council did not attach a human rights monitoring mechanism to the UN Mission in Western Sahara. Such actions condemned the Saharawi people to be refugees in the diaspora and to live under occupation in their own homeland, held captive by the Moroccan monarch. 

The Chairperson said he was giving this background for the benefit of participants who may not have attended previous engagements. He called on participants to engage and discuss in a very cordial and respectful manner.  The rules of Parliament applied to the event in terms of behaviour and decorum, so unruly behaviour was not going to be tolerated. He wished the conference every success.

Prof. Mayatula thanked the Chairperson for the solid foundation which he had laid for the rest of the conference. He called on the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Marius Fransman, to address to conference. The Deputy Minister was going to present on South African foreign policy positions on Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara. The Deputy Minister had extended a request to leave after his address, as he had been called out for other commitments.

Statement by Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
The Deputy Minister acknowledged the presence of Mr Ahmed Kathrada and the Ambassadors present and welcomed all the participants to the meeting. He was honoured to address the conference, not only because Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara had occupied such an important place in South Africa’s discourse over the past two decades for a just, caring and peaceful global dispensation, but because each, in their own right, had carried the flag of struggle for human rights, solidarity and freedom.

After reading a quote from Nelson Mandela on the issue of international peace and solidarity, the Deputy Minister outlined a brief history of the South African struggle and how it was inevitably linked to the struggles of the people of Palestine, Western Sahara and Cuba.  Over the past twenty years, South Africa had indeed walked a long way from being the pariah of the world to becoming a symbol of human rights, peaceful transition and a constitutional democracy that was celebrated by all and sundry. South Africa’s vision was an African Continent, which was prosperous, peaceful, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and united, and which contributed to a world that was just and equitable, and hence the government had been promoting South Africa’s national interests and values, the African Renaissance and the creation of a better world for all.

Principles of South Africa’s Foreign Policy
The Deputy Minister outlined the principles which guided South Africa’s foreign policy. SA’s foreign policies were rooted in:

A belief in, and preoccupation with, human rights which extended beyond the political, embracing the economic, social and environmental;

A belief that just and lasting solutions to the problems of humankind can only come through the promotion of democracy worldwide;

A belief that justice and international law should guide the relations between nations;

A belief that international peace was the goal to which all nations should strive. Where this broke down, internationally-agreed peaceful mechanisms to solve conflicts should be resorted to;

A belief that South Africa’s foreign policy should reflect the interests of the continent of Africa;

A belief that South Africa's economic development depended on growing regional and international economic cooperation in an independent world; and

A belief that South Africa’s foreign relations must mirror its deep commitment to the consolidation of a democratic South Africa.

The Deputy Minister said it was no accident that this conference on International Solidarity with Western Sahara, Cuba and Palestine occupied such an important place in the pursuit of South Africa’s foreign policy. He said South Africa’s freedom would never have occurred, had it not been for the support built through international solidarity by hundreds of nations across the world. Some nations supported South Africa with international aid, bursaries, training and others supported through multilateral lobbying, financial support, helping through building the economic, cultural and sports boycotts, while others helped South Africa with the armed struggle.

Western Sahara
The Deputy Minister said South Africa remained steadfast in its support for the Saharawi people’s inalienable right to decolonisation and self-determination, through a UN supervised referendum with the option of independence. After giving a background to the situation in Western Sahara, the Deputy Minister said South Africa’s international solidarity and support for the self-determination of Western Sahara was based on the following principles:

The principles of multilateralism and international legality in seeking a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara;
The centrality of the African Union and United Nations in the resolution of the conflict;
The Constitutive Act of the African Union -- in particular, the principle of the sanctity of inherited colonial borders in Africa and the right of peoples of former colonial territories to self-determination and independence;
Respect of international human rights law in the occupied territories, notably the right to freedom of association, assembly, movement and expression;
Respect of international humanitarian law and support for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Saharawi refugees in a way that was predictable, sustainable and timely;
An end to the illegal exploration and exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara in the illegally occupied territory and the discouragement of the involvement of foreign companies in such activities; and
Support for the integration and stability of the Maghreb Union as a building block of the African Union.

Cuba
The Deputy Minister said 2014 marked 20 years of fruitful South Africa-Cuba relations. He took the opportunity to reiterate South Africa’s unvarying and unyielding support to the legitimate struggles of the people of Cuba.  As a country, South Africa continued to defend these struggles until the citizens of these countries enjoyed and benefited from full freedom, independence and justice.

After outlining various aspects of the history and background of SA-Cuba relations, the Deputy Minister said South Africa reported annually to the UN General Assembly on its cooperation with Cuba when considering the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America (USA) against Cuba. In this regard, President Jacob Zuma had, during the past number of years, in his State of the Nation Address, called for an immediate end to the continued unilateral economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed against Cuba by the United States of America. The government of South Africa, working with civil society, had pledged humanitarian aid to the government of Cuba in the wake of the severe destruction and damage caused by three successive hurricanes in 2008. Through the commitment and dedication of the Cuba–South Africa friendship organisation, FOCUS, South Africans had been sensitised on issues pertaining to Cuba and FOCUS had been the driving force in mobilising support for the various solidarity campaigns for Cuba in South Africa, including the release of the Cuban Five.

South Africa continued to be a beneficiary of Cuba’s ongoing assistance in support of the five priorities of the South African Government, through joint programmes in health, labour, social development, housing and infrastructure.  One of the success stories was the extensive cooperation between South Africa and Cuba regarding skills development and training. During this year, more than 1 828 South African students will be receiving medical training in Cuba. So far, more than 420 South Africans from disadvantaged backgrounds had graduated in Cuba as medical doctors, providing much needed primary healthcare services to their local communities. Another 73 final year medical students were doing their final year at SA Universities and will be graduating in 2014. Similarly, 11 South African students had graduated from the International Sport School in Havana and a number of teachers in South Africa had benefited from the Mathematics and Science skills development programme. The deployment of Cuban doctors, engineers and technical experts across South African provinces was a demonstration of Cuba’s commitment, as was the training on Cuban scholarships, of South African medical students under the auspices of the Health Agreement, and of over 1 000 students, under the Extended Health Agreement.

Following the success of cooperation in the sphere of health, various projects were being pursued in areas as diverse as arts and culture, sports, trade, agriculture, education, housing and water affairs.

The Deputy Minister said Cuba continued to be an inspiration for South Africa in pursuit of its agenda of international solidarity. He quoted Che Guevara as saying “our struggle cannot be over as long as there is a single human being suffering anywhere in the world”

Palestine
On the Palestinian issue, the Deputy Minister started by quoting Nelson Mandela as saying “the Palestinian struggle is the greatest moral issue of our time”.  Since the dawn of democracy, South Africa had developed a policy towards Palestine, based on international solidarity with the Palestinian cause which was informed by the following:
South Africa had recognized the State of Palestine since 1995;
South Africa supported international efforts aimed at the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, existing side by side in peace with Israel within internationally recognized borders, based on those existing on 4 June 1967, prior to the outbreak of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, with East Jerusalem as its capital;
South Africa remained deeply concerned about Israeli settlement expansion, including in East Jerusalem. The South African government had repeatedly called on Israel to abandon all settlement expansion;
A two-state solution to the conflict was under increasing threat as Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank continued to make the separation of both peoples into two states increasingly difficult;
The halting of settlement construction was seen by the South African government as a commitment already agreed to by Israel during preceding peace negotiations, including at the Annapolis International Middle East Peace Conference, which took place in November 2007 and in which South Africa participated;
During the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on 10 May 2012, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation had reiterated South Africa’s unwavering commitment in support of the Palestinian cause, and called for the self-determination and recognition of the Palestinian state;
South Africa stood firmly opposed to the blockade of Gaza, its inaccessibility with respect to humanitarian aid and the general dire humanitarian situation that this caused;
South Africa encouraged a just solution with respect to the right of return of the Palestinian refugees;
In May 2010, South Africa had recalled its Ambassador to Israel for consultations and handed a demarche to the Israeli Ambassador to protest an Israeli military assault on an international assistance flotilla to Gaza in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which resulted in the death of seven Turkish nationals aboard the vessel;
In 2011, South Africa co-sponsored a bid for statehood in the United Nations for the State of Palestine.   However, that was not successful. On 29 November 2013, the General Assembly voted to grant Palestine non-member observer status at the United Nations;
On 22 August 2012, the South African Cabinet approved Government Notice 379 pertaining to the labelling of products from the Palestinian Occupied Territories. The Israeli Government was “distressed” by the fact that the entire South African Cabinet had approved the notice requiring the labelling of products emanating from the Occupied Territories.

The Deputy Minister reiterated South Africa’s support for a just and negotiated settlement of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, independence and complete sovereignty, in accordance with international resolutions of the UN.

The Deputy Minister thanked the Portfolio Committee for organising the conference and giving him an opportunity to address the participants.

The Moderator thanked the Deputy Minister for his address. He presented the Members of the Portfolio Committee to the participants. He noted that the Deputy Minister, Mr Obed Bapela was absent, so Mr Job Sithole (ANC) was going to address the conference.

Address by Mr Job Sithole (ANC)
Mr Sithole said he was going to do all he could to stay within the 10 minute time limit because if he was not restrained, he could take all the time of the conference as he had so much to say about the issues on the agenda. He thanked the Committee for giving him the opportunity to speak. He said the conference was a well-structured intervention in terms of solidarity with Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara. The struggle for a better life was not only confined to the development of South African society but was a struggle for humanity and everyone around the world.

South Africa benefited a lot from international solidarity and ordinary citizens, students and workers around the world sacrificed themselves for the fight against apartheid. Why was it that when it was South Africa’s turn to support other oppressed people, there was a tendency to shy away and debate on the issues? Why was it that when everybody wanted to sanction the apartheid South Africa, everyone stood up for it but now there was debate over whether Israel should be sanctioned? Why was there sensitivity around the issue? Why were the occupiers and exploiters of Western Sahara not sanctioned? This was not morally justifiable and was unacceptable.

Mr Sithole said he was wholly convinced that the discussion should no longer be about whether there was the need for solidarity or not.   The discussions had to be about what strategies could be used to foster solidarity and liberate all the oppressed and occupied peoples concerned. The International Criminal Court (ICC) had been created to judge people guilty of crimes against humanity, but why were the Moroccan authorities not summoned before the ICC?  Why was there a deafening silence on the issue of Western Sahara?  Why was Israel not sanctioned after all it had done?  Who was benefiting from the suffering of the Palestinian people? He had been to Palestine, Gaza and Wesbank many times and the situation there was worse than what had happened during the apartheid era. If apartheid was anything against humanity, what Israel was doing to Palestine was 20 times worse. A Palestinian could not drive on a highway, simply because he was Palestinian.

Mr Sithole said it was time to tell Morocco that it could not continue to oppress another African country. He concluded by saying it was important to consider identifying products made from occupied areas and ban the importation and consumption of those products. Labelling these products was not good enough. There had to be a clear ban on their importation and consumption. South Africa had to stop all interactions with Morocco for as long as it continued to occupy the territories of Western Sahara. The same should also be said for Israel, stopping all interactions for as long as it continued to kill Palestinians with impunity. He said companies in South Africa with ties to Morocco and Israel should also be identified.

Prof. Mayatula thanked Mr Sithole for his address and called on Mr Ahmed Kathrada, of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, to make a statement of solidarity.

Statement of Solidarity by Mr Ahmed Kathrada
Mr Ahmed Kathrada thanked the Committee and conference organisers for the opportunity given him to make this statement. He stated that after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he was advised by President Bush of the USA to break all ties with Cuba, Libya and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). Mandela responded by saying that it would be ungrateful and immoral of us to now abandon those people who were our friends during our struggle.  Unfortunately, when forums like these criticised Israel, mischievous people misinterpreted it as anti-Semitism. He said he would keep on criticising Israel, but he was not anti-Semitic.

Mr Kathrada said he visited Palestine in 2013 and what he saw there was a country that was a colony of Israel. There were roads on which Palestinians could not walk. There were high walls which separated Israel from the Wesbank. He saw the check points guarded by heavily armed soldiers, and the on-going settlements on the Westbank. He was not trying to say apartheid was good, but he had never seen such things done with so much impunity. What he saw in Palestine was a reminiscence of South Africa under apartheid and he did not need to do academic research to conclude that Israel was and is an apartheid state. He had noticed that Hendrik Verwoerd had actually described Israel as an apartheid state in 1961. A British diplomat, after a tour of the Wesbank, had described Palestine as the largest detention camp in the world.

Mr Kathrada stated some facts and history about the plight of the Palestinian people and gave motivations why South Africa should support the call of the Palestinian people for self-determination.  All the previous speakers had spoken well on the issues and he concluded by saying that every second or third person that he had met in Palestine had been a prisoner of Israel. He had met men and women who had spent over 30 years in prison. He had taken part in the launching of a campaign for the freedom of the most senior Palestinian leader, who had already been in prison for 11 years, but his sentence was five life sentences. His name was Marwan Barghouti and this campaign had been launched on Robben Island. He hoped that this would develop into an international campaign, like the “Free Mandela” campaign. He thanked the Committee for the opportunity to speak to them.

Prof. Mayatula thanked Mr Kathrada for his statement of solidarity, and said the conference would proceed to receive statements by the Ambassadors of Cuba, Palestine, Western Sahara and Algeria, who were present. He pleaded with the Ambassadors to stick to the time limit of 10 minutes.

Statements by Ambassadors
Cuba
The Cuban Ambassador to South Africa, His Excellency Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, thanked the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa and the organisers of the conference for giving him an opportunity to address the conference. He said solidarity was a very sacred thing and there were many aspects which made Cuba and South Africa similar. One of these was the firm belief in the right of the peoples of Western Sahara and Palestine to self-determination and independence. The difficult living conditions of the Saharawi and Palestinian people were worsening by the day, and international humanitarian aid was reducing instead of increasing. The peoples of Western Sahara and Palestine deserved the solidarity of Cuba, South Africa and the rest of the world. It required great solidarity and commitment to overcome the current challenges and Cuba’s commitment to the cause was firm and unbending.

The Cuban Ambassador used the opportunity to offer an update on the Cuban Five Heroes case, and made an appeal to increase the South African support to the international campaign for their liberation.

Palestine
The Palestinian Ambassador to South Africa, His Excellency Abdel Hafiz Nofal thanked the Committee and Parliament for organising the conference on solidarity with the people of Palestine, Western Sahara and Cuba. He said the importance of this conference could not be overemphasised. The Palestinian situation was similar to that of South Africa under the apartheid regime. The Palestinians were under intense occupation by the Israelis and he believed that South Africa was a major player in the realisation of Palestinian freedom. 

Ambassador Nofal provided a lengthy background to the situation in Palestine and described the gross human rights violations which were taking place in Palestine, orchestrated by Israel.

In conclusion, he said he was confident that South Africa would continue to support the Palestinian people and intensify the struggle against the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. He wished the people of South Africa well as they prepared for the 2014 elections, and hoped that South Africa would once again teach the world how to practice democracy.

Western Sahara
The representative of the embassy of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic thanked the Parliament and Portfolio Committee on International Relations for the opportunity to make this statement. On behalf of the Polisario Front and the Saharawi people, he said it was a great delight to see the continued interest in the issue of Western Sahara. There was a long-standing history of solidarity, mutual assistance and cooperation between South Africa and Western Sahara.

In summary, the main plight of the Saharawi people was the continuous and illegal occupation of the Western Sahara by Morocco, making it the only colony on the African continent. There were also serious concerns about the exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara by Morocco and its allies. The conference was presented with a detailed account of the human rights abuses and acts of domination visited on the Saharawi people by Morocco.

Algeria
The Algerian Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Mourad Bencheikh expressed gratitude for the opportunity to address the conference in solidarity with Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara.  For Algeria, South Africa was a depository of the moral values of pan-Africanism in the cause of liberation of Africa and respect for the right to self-determination of people under the occupation of colonialism. He said Mr Ahmed Kathrada personified all of these values.

Algeria supported the people of Palestine, Western Sahara and Cuba in its principled and firm position.  Algeria was particularly concerned about the situation in Western Sahara.   Algeria took the firm position that the people of Western Sahara had the right to self-determination and independence from Morocco.   Colonialists like Israel and Morocco were very bad students of history, as what they were doing was what had been done in the past, but had resulted in failure. It was only a matter of time before all the oppressed peoples of Western Sahara and Palestine would be free.

The Moderator thanked the ambassadors for their statements and called on the representatives of selected civil society organisations to express messages of solidarity.

Messages of Solidarity
FOCUS
The first message of solidarity was from the Friends of Cuba Society (FOCUS).

Mr Chris Mathlako, FOCUS National General Secretary, briefly explained what FOCUS was all about. After providing a background to Cuban relations with Southern Africa, he said FOCUS applauded Cuba’s provision of teachers, doctors and medical personnel to the African people, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.  Cuba had gone beyond simply providing humanitarian relief.

FOCUS applauded this conference initiative, and hoped that the most would be made out of the engagements.

COSATU
The second message of solidarity was from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Mr Bonagni Masuku, COSATU International Relations Secretary, thanked Parliament and the Government for affording the opportunity for the important matters affecting Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara to be discussed in a more proactive manner.

COSATU viewed the plight of Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara from the same standpoint as all justice and human rights activists all over the world. COSATU was of the firm view that justice for some was justice for none, and the world was being held to ransom by the actions of imperial domination which were committed by the USA, the European Union and Israel. The common denominator between Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara was the influence of the imperialist nations led by the USA, and their continuous domination.

Mr Masuku said he had the privilege of visiting the refugee camps and had experienced the pain and brutal experiences of the Saharawi people, some of whom were 35 years old or more, but had never been home as they had been refugees all their lives. COSATU firmly supported their requests for self-determination and freedom from colonialism. It was a pain on the consciences of the African people that Morocco continued to dominate and colonise another country on the continent.

On Palestine, colonialism was a threat to world peace and security and it was important to note that peace was not forced silence and cohabitation. The Palestinian experience was that there was a false sense of consensus being led by the USA and Europe. It was impossible to have peace between the coloniser and the colonised. The only way to attain peace and justice was to end colonialism, occupation and apartheid. The colonised had to use any means to fight for their freedom, as it would be cowardice not to fight for one’s freedom.  COSATU called on the ICC to charge Benjamin Netanyahu with crimes against humanity, for the murder of women and children in Palestine, and for denying the Palestinian people their rights.

Mr Masuku said Cuba had become the epitome of human dignity, as it had always taken up the fight for humanity everywhere in the world as if it were their personal fight. Cuba defended the South African people, the people of Angola and various peoples all over the world.

Western Sahara Solidarity Forum
The third message of solidarity was from the Western Sahara Solidarity Forum and read by Mr Patrick Baleka. The Western Sahara Solidarity Forum had been formed on the basis of UN resolution 1541. Its aim was to ensure that colonised countries, particularly in Africa, were freed from imperialism and colonialism.

Mr Baleka said many countries were decolonised politically, but not economically. The conflicts which were happening in Africa were proof that there was not enough solidarity. He questioned where the solidarity in Africa was. South Africa had to show solidarity with other occupied and colonised territories of the world, as colonialism would never end in Africa if there was no unity on the issues.

Conference Breakaway Groups
The Moderator, Prof Mayathula, explained that the conference would be split into three groups to discuss the issues relating to Palestine, Cuba and Western Sahara. Each group was going to have two presentations, and a question and discussion session. The conference plenary was going to reconvene after the group discussions for reports and the adoption of a declaration.  

Group One - Palestine
Group 1 held discussions under the theme, “Intensifying the struggle for self-determination and efforts to bring about a lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict”. The convenor of the group was Mr Bongani Masuku. During the discussions, presentations were made by Ms Marthie Momberg and Mr Naeem Jeenah.

Group Two - Cuba
Group 2 held discussions under the theme, “Asserting the right of the people of Cuba to a meaningful and unfettered trade and a call for the release of the Cuban Five”. The group convenor was Mr Chris Mathlako. During the discussions, presentations were made Mr Chris Mathlako and Mr Clever Banganayi.

Group Three – Western Sahara
Group 3 held discussions under the theme, “Liberation of Western Sahara: Ending Colonialism in Africa”. Mr Patrick Baleka was the group convenor. The presentations were to be made by Mr Patrick Baleka and Ambassador Welile Nhlapo.
 

Second Session: Reporting Session and Adoption of Declaration
The Moderator of the second session, Ms F Mahomed (ANC), welcomed all the participants to the conference and called on the designated members of the various groups to submit reports on the discussions and proposed resolutions. She noted that Group 1 had requested to submit its presentation last, as it needed some more time to put its report together.  Group 2 would start the reporting session.

Presentations of Report and Resolutions from Breakaway Groups
Group Two - Cuba
Mr Mathlako said Group 2’s discussions were held under the theme “Asserting the right of the people of Cuba to a meaningful and unfettered trade and a call for the release of the Cuban Five”. The group appreciated the process which Parliament had taken and noted that it was a good initiative.

After the discussions, Group 2 had established the following resolutions:

That it was important to increase trade between Cuba and South Africa;
That it was important to continue to broaden the scope for people-to-people relations;
That it was important to amplify the voice for the end of the blockade and the release of the Cuban Five; and
That it was important to include all provinces which were participating in the Cuba-South Africa medical tour team, and an offer must be made to extend the tour to other areas.

The group felt that these resolutions should be included in the declaration and overall resolutions of the conference.

Group Three – Western Sahara
Mr Baleka said Group 3 had discussed a lot of issues which affected the people of Western Sahara. The discussions were held under the theme “Liberation of Western Sahara: Ending Colonialism in Africa”. The group raised the following issues:

The group commended the African Union for mandating the AU Commission with the responsibility of discussing issues surrounding Western Sahara.;
An Advisory Opinion had to be sought from the African Court of Justice;
Universal jurisdiction must be used as a tool to hold Moroccan officials accountable for human rights abuses committed against the people of Western Sahara;
The Peace and Security Council of the AU must closely monitor violent acts committed against the people of Western Sahara;
The Solidarity Conference must strongly condemn the human rights violations committed by Morocco;
Moroccan companies and investments must be removed from Western Sahara;
The mandate of the UN Mission in the Western Sahara must be expanded to include the monitoring of human rights violations and protecting the rights of the people of Western Sahara;
The government of South Africa must work together in organising multilateral forums for increased pressure to be put on Morocco;
Countries and companies collaborating with Morocco in exploiting the natural resources of Western Sahara must be held accountable through a coordinated international effort using a variety of resources, including international law, boycotts and solidarity campaigns;
The monitoring and report of human rights violations committed against the people of Western Sahara must be continuous and consistent;
Public education on the issue of Western Sahara must be improved;
All political prisoners and detainees must be released unconditionally; and
The blockade on media must be condemned and removed.

Mr Baleka said if any one from the group at the meeting had anything to add, they could do so. There was no further input from the group members or from the other participants.

Group One – Palestine
Mr Jeenah said Group 1 discussed under the theme, “Intensifying the struggle for self-determination and efforts to bring about a lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict”. He said there had been a lot of discussion and engagement on the issues, but he would present only the concrete proposals and resolutions on how solidarity might be intensified. The following points were made:
That the South African government should play a central role and take the responsibility for supporting Palestinian reconciliation. The group was told by an official from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) that this issue was on government’s agenda for this year;
That South Africa must act upon its legal obligation as a signatory to the Rome Statute, to set up a special court to deal with war crimes to expeditiously deal with the issue of South Africans serving in the Israeli defence force;
The Human Sciences Research Council Report, which found Israel guilty of the crime of apartheid, should be adopted by Parliament and must be referred by the government to international bodies such as the ICC, the UN and the AU;
That South Africa had a legal obligation to stop all financial transactions with Israeli settlement companies, with banks that dealt with Israeli settlement and companies involved in the settlements as a consequence of international law, which provided that these settlements were illegal;
South Africa should lobby for the financial support of the Palestinian people after the end of occupation;
As a concrete act of solidarity, South Africa should support Palestinian students and grant scholarships to those students wishing to study in South Africa;
That entry into South Africa for Palestinians and visa requirements must be made easy;
The Palestinian health system must be supported;
That South Africa should support the campaign for the liberation of Marwan Barghouti and other Palestinian political prisoners;
That the call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) should be supported. This included complete military, economic and political sanctions against Israel in compliance with all applicable UN resolutions and international law;
That the South African government should table these resolutions at the UN and the AU;
That all South African political parties should clearly express their stance on the plight of the Palestinian people and make this very clearly known in the build up to 2014 elections;
That witness and solidarity visits to Palestine should be encouraged by South Africans to the Palestinian territory;
South Africa should campaign for Israel to be excluded from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) banking network.

The Moderator thanked all the participants of the conference for their good behaviour, because the productive discussions on very emotional topics had been fruitful, with no instances of misbehaviour.  According to the programme, there was a photo and documentary session but she suggested that the conference should first adopt the Declaration.

She called on the House Chairperson of International Relations in the National Assembly, Ms F Hajaig (ANC) to coordinate the adoption of the Declaration.

Reading and Declaration of the Declaration
Ms F Hajaig said that all the reports and submissions by the various groups would be incorporated into the Declaration, which would be known as The Cape Town Declaration.

Ms Hajaig read out the Declaration to the conference participants and asked if there were any participants who were opposed to the adoption of the resolution.

Ms C Dudley (ACDP) asked if the Declaration and the resolution were still going to be considered and adopted by the Portfolio Committee on International Relations, or whether this was the final adoption.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Mr Magama, explained that he was going to address the issue in his closing remarks, but this was definitely not the final adoption of the declaration.

Ms Hajaig presented the Declaration to the conference for adoption. She asked if there were any people who were opposed to the adoption. Four participants were opposed to the adoption. She noted these four people.

The Conference adopted the Declaration, noting the objection of four people.

Third Session: Closing Plenary
The Moderator of the closing plenary, Mr S Ngonyama (COPE), called on the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee to make his closing remarks.

The Chairperson thanked every participant at the conference, and said this was only the adoption of the conference resolutions and declarations.  There would still be a parliamentary process which would work on the output from the conference. However, he assured participants that there would not be any major changes in the resolution and declaration after the parliamentary process. On issues of this nature, there were hardly ever absolute majorities and some people were always opposed to the work being done.

Mr Ngonyama called on Mr B Eloff (DA) to give a vote of thanks.

Mr Eloff thanked every participant at the meeting and said that the discussions and engagements of the day had been very fruitful.  This was a mark of progress in the right direction in fostering solidarity to build a just and better world. He declared the conference closed.

The meeting was adjourned.