NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO: 1001 (NW1122E)
MR LS NGONYAMA (COPE) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND
COOPERATION:
Whether the Government issued any protest notes to Libya and Bahrain for
using force against peaceful demonstrators; if not, why not; if so, what
are the relevant details?
REPLY
The President spoke to the Libyan leader telephonically against the use of
force. On 21 February 2011 the Government issued a public statement
condemning the violence and use of force against peaceful demonstrators,
the violations of human rights and the loss of civilian life following anti-
government demonstrations. Furthermore, the South African Government
endorsed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution number 1970
on Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The resolution condemned the indiscriminate and
excessive use of force against peaceful protesters and called upon the
Libyan authorities to end forthwith all acts of violence in accordance with
international humanitarian and human rights law. The South African
Government in addition called for an immediate end to the violence and for
steps to address the legitimate demands of the population.
The South African Government has not issued any protest note to the Kingdom
of Bahrain, however, South Africa has been monitoring developments closely
and supports the peaceful resolution of conflict through a process of
dialogue. In this regard, South Africa takes cognisance of the proposal by
the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa for his
Royal Highness, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain
to initiate a process of National Dialogue to reach a negotiated and
peaceful solution to the conflict. South Africa strongly encourages all
parties to engage in constructive dialogue for the peaceful resolution of
the conflict with a sense of urgency.