BOTSWANA CHARGES BOPHUTHATSWANA WITH THREAT TO INVADE

S E C R E T GABORONE 0501 NOFORN LONDON FOR FRASURE: CAPE TOWN ALSO FOR EMBASSY E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PREL SF BC SUBJECT: BOTSWANA CHARGES BOPHUTHATSWANA WITH THREAT TO INVADE REF: GABORONE 461 (NOTAL) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. THE GOVERNMENT OF BOTSWANA HAS ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE STATING THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF BOPHUTHATSWANA HAS THREATENED TO INVADE BOTSWANA UNLESS IT HALTS THE PASSAGE OF ANC CADRE THROUGH BOTSWANA INTO ITS TERRITORY AND THAT OF SOUTH AFRICA. THE RELEASE ALSO CITES PIK BOTHA AS SAYING THAT BOTH GOVERNMENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MARCH INTO ANY NEIGHBORING COUNTRY THROUGH WHICH THEY BELIEVE ANC GROUPS ARE PASSING INTO THEIR TERRITORY. THE RELEASE STATES THAT BOTSWANA DOES NOT PERMIT USE OF ITS TERRITORY FOR ATTACKS ON ITS NEIGHBORS AND THAT SOUTH AFRICA AND BOPHUTHATSWANA "WITH THEIR LARGE SECURITY FORCES AND ARMIES" SHOULD BE BETTER ABLE TO SEAL THEIR BOUNDARIES THAN BOTSWANA. THE RELEASE WAS APPARENTLY AIRED ON RADIO BOTSWANA THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 4 AND WAS PICKED UP ON BOPHUTHATSWANA TV THE SAME EVENING. THE PRESS HAS REPORTED A RECENT MEETING BETWEEN FOREIGN MINISTER CHIEPE AND BOPHUTHATSWANA OFFICIALS, DENIED BY THE FOREIGN MINISTER. THE PRESS STATEMENT MAY REPRESENT GOB EFFORTS TO POSITION ITSELF FOR THE UPCOMING MEETING WITH SAG OFFICIALS REPORTED REFTEL. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) THE FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF A GOB PRESS STATEMENT RELEASED LATE FEBRUARY 4. QUOTE: BOPHUTHATSWANA HAS THREATENED TO INVADE BOTSWANA UNLESS THAT PASSAGE OF A.N.C. CADRES INTO REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND BOPHUTHATSWANA, WHICH BOPHUTHATSWANA BELIEVES TAKES PLACE THROUGH BOTSWANA, STOPS. THIS WARNING HAS SINCE BEEN REPEATED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER, THE HON. PIK BOTHA, WHO HAS STATED THAT THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND BOPHUTHATSWANA RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MARCH INTO ANY NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY THROUGH WHICH THEY BELIEVE A.N.C. CADRES PASS INTO BOPHUTHATSWANA AND THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, WHETHER SUCH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY APPROVES OR KNOWS ABOUT SUCH INFILTRATION OR NOT BOTSWANA THEREFORE FACES THE RISK OF INVASION WHETHER OR NOT IT APPROVES OF THE ALLEGED A.N.C. INFILTRATION OR EVEN KNOWS ABOUT IT OR NOT. THE BOPHUTHATSWANA THREAT IS ALL THE MORE SURPRISING AS BOPHUTHATSWANA HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED TO BOTSWANA ABOUT SECURITY MATTERS. BOTSWANA FOR ITS PART, HAS EXPLAINED, AS IT HAS ALWAYS DONE, THAT IT DOES NOT ALLOW THE USE OF ITS TERRITORY AS A BASE FOR ATTACKS ON ITS NEIGHBOURS OR ANY OTHER COUNTRIES FOR THAT MATTER. BOTSWANA HAS ALWAYS ARRESTED, TRIED AND IMPRISONED ANYBODY WHO WAS CAUGHT IMPORTING OR CARRYING OR IN POSSESSION OF WEAPONS IN BOTSWANA. BOTSWANA IS NO MORE GUILTY OF PERMITTING A.N.C. CADRES TO ENTER ITS TERRITORY THAN BOPHUTHATSWANA AND SOUTH AFRICA ARE OF PERMITTING THESE CADRES TO ENTER THEIR RESPECTIVE TERRITORIES. SOUTH AFRICA AND BOPHUTHATSWANA WITH THEIR LARGE SECURITY FORCES AND ARMIES, CAPABLE OF INVADING BOTSWANA, SHOULD BE BETTER ABLE TO SEAL THEIR BOUNDARIES AGAINST A.N.C. INFILTRATION WHICH BOTSWANA WITH ITS SMALL POLICE FORCE AND ARMY AND SEVERELY LIMITED RESOURCES IS UNABLE TO DO. OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, FEBRUARY 4, 1985. END QUOTE. ¶3. (C) OUR COPY OF THE RELEASE INDICATES THAT THE STATEMENT WAS TO BE READ OVER RADIO BOTSWANA'S ENGLISH NEWS AT 6 P.M. AND 9 P.M. FEBRUARY ¶4. EMBASSY OFFICIALS DID NOT HEAR THESE BROADCASTS BUT PICKED UP A REPORT ON BOPHUTHATSWANA TV DURING THE SAME EVENING REPORTING ON THE RELEASE. IT WAS NOT AIRED ON THE 7 A.M. RADIO BOTSWANA ENGLISH NEWS FEBRUARY 5. ¶4. (S-NOFORN) COMMENT. WE ARE SEEKING EARLY MEETINGS WITH FOREIGN MINISTRY AND OTHER OFFICIALS TO ASCERTAIN THE BACKGROUND TO THIS BPZARRE PRESS RELEASE. WE SUSPECT THAT IT REPRESENTS GOB EFFORTS TO POSITION ITSELF FOR THE SECURITY MEETING WHICH THE SAG REPORTEDLY HAS INSISTED UPON (REFTEL). INTERESTINGLY, THE INDEPENDENT GUARDIAN REPORTED ON FEBRUARY 1 THAT MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CHIEPE MET SEDETLY ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO IN A GABORONE MOTEL WITH BOPHUTHATSWANA OFFICIALS. THE GUARDIAN SAID THAT DR. CHIEPE HAS "EMPHATICALLY DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH A MEETING. THE GUARDIAN CONTINUED THAT INFORMED SOURCES HAVE INDICATED THAT THE BANTUSTAN GOVERMMENT SEEKS ASSURANCE FROM GABORONE THAT ANC FREEDOM FIGHTERS ARE NOT OPERATING FROM BOTSWANA." THE PRESS RELEASE ALSO FOLLOWS A SIRO REPORT OF AN ARMED CLASH FEBRUARY 3 ON THE FRONTIER TWO KILOMETERS NORTH OF THE TLOKWENG BORDER POST BETWEEN 3 ARMED ANC CADRE AND A SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENSE FORCE PATROL IN WHICH ONE SOUTH AFRICAN SOLDIER WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN CRITICALLY WOUNDED. THE ANC GROUP REPORTEDLY FLED BACK INTO BOTSWANA. END COMMENT. MAINO