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