Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
90STATE48186
1990-02-14 00:36:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

AFRICA IN THE U.S. PRESS - FEBRUARY 13, 1990

Tags:  OPRC XA 
pdf how-to read a cable
P 140036Z FEB 90 ZEX
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL AFRICAN DIPLOMATIC POSTS PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BONN PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY
AMCONSUL DURBAN PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY
AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG PRIORITY
USOFFICE WINDHOEK PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY DAKAR PRIORITY
USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
USINT HAVANA PRIORITY
AMCONSUL KADUNA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY
AMCONSUL LUBUMBASHI PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MALABO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MAPUTO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY
USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
USCINCEUR VAILHINGEN GE/ECJ4-SA/ECJ5-01
WHITE HOUSE PRIORITY 0000
USIA WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS STATE 048186

FROM AF/P: INFORM CONSULS AND PAOS

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: OPRC XA
SUBJECT: AFRICA IN THE U.S. PRESS - FEBRUARY 13, 1990

BRUSSELS PLEASE PASS USEC
CAPE TOWN FOR EMBASSY
NAIROBI PLEASE PASS MOMBASA
RIYADH ALSO FOR AMB. FREEMAN
ROME ALSO FOR VATICAN


THE NEW YORK TIMES

IN ALMOST EVERY RESPECT, THE NELSON MANDELA WHO WALKED OUT
OF VICTOR VERSTER PRISON FARM SUNDAY MORNING APPEARED TO
RESEMBLE CLOSELY THE IMPRESSIVE FIGURE DESCRIBED IN RECENT
YEARS BY THE DOZENS OF PEOPLE WHO VISITED HIM IN PRISON,
JOHN BURNS WRITES. BECAUSE THOSE VISITORS HAD DESCRIBED
MANDELA IN GLOWING TERMS - A MAN OF UNUSUAL MEMORY AND
GREAT PERSONAL WARMTH, EVEN TOWARD HIS CAPTORS, REPORTERS
WAITING TO SEE HIM ON SUNDAY WERE WATCHING FOR FEET OF
CLAY. BUT THERE WERE FEW WHO SAID THEY FOUND THEM.
ADDRESSING A PRESS CONFERENCE IN ARCHBISHOP TUTU'S CAPE
TOWN GARDEN ON MONDAY, MANDELA APPEARED MODEST,
SOFT-SPOKEN, ANALYTICAL YET GENEROUS IN HIS POLITICAL
OBSERVATIONS AND FRIENDLY. EVEN THOUGH HIS NEWSPAPERS AND
MAGAZINES WERE HEAVILY CENSORED UNTIL THE MID-1980S, HE
SHOWED A BROAD GRASP OF EVENTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SOUTH
AFRICA. IN MONDAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE, HE DESCRIBED SOME OF
HIS CAPTORS AS GOOD MEN. "THAT HAS WIPED OUT ANY
BITTERNESS A MAN COULD HAVE," HE SAID. P. A17;

BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS IN THE NEW YORK AREA SAID IN
INTERVIEWS YESTERDAY THAT THE RELEASE OF NELSON MANDELA
IMPROVED THE PROSPECTS FOR NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE SAG AND
THE ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT, ERIC PACE REPORTS. SOME SAID
THAT MANDELA'S RETURN TO THE POLITICAL SCENE WOULD INCREASE
COHESIVENESS WITHIN THE ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT. OTHERS
INTERPRETED THE RELEASE AS ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY THE SAG OF THE
STRENGTH AND PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE ANC. SELOKA PHIRWA, A
MEMBER OF THE ANC'S OBSERVER MISSION TO THE UN AND OTHERS,
SAID THAT WHILE RELEASE OF MANDELA WAS A "BOLD STEP," OTHER
CONDITIONS SET BY THE ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT FOR
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SAG "REMAINED UNFILLED." THE LABOR
SECRETARY OF THE PAC, LESOANA MAKHANDA, SAID MANDELA WAS
BEING RELEAED "MERELY INTO A LARGER JAIL, WHICH IS THE REST
OF SOUTH AFRICA." P. A17;

WHILE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA CELEBRATED THE
RELEASE OF MANDELA, THE QUESTION RAISED BY SUPPORTERS AND
OPPONENTS ALIKE IS WHETHER PRESIDENT DE KLERK, IN FREEING
MANDELA, HAS UNLEASED A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT HE WILL NOT BE
ABLE TO CONTROL. PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHETHER DE KLERK
WILL TURN OUT TO BE THE GORBACHEV OF SOUTH AFRICA, A
REFORMER WHO SETS OUT ON A MODEST COURSE OF CHANGE ONLY TO
FIND THAT HE HAS UNCAGED FORCES THAT MOVE THROUGH SOCIETY
IN UNPREDICTABLE WAYS, FORCES THAT EVEN THREATEN TO
OVERWHELM HIM. WHILE CP LEADER ANDRIES TREURNICHT TALKED

OF THE SAG HAVING SURRENDERED TO A MARXIST REVOLUTION,
MODERATES AMONG WHITES AND BLACKS AGREED THAT THE SOUTH
AFRICA OF YESTERDAY, IN WHICH WHITES DECREED FOR BLACKS, IS
ALMOST SURELY GONE FOREVER. THE LIBERAL "WEEKLY MAIL"
SAID: "IF THE GOVERNMENT STILL BELIEVES IT CAN CONTROL THE
PROCESS IT HAS STARTED, IT IS KIDDING ITSELF." JOHN BURNS
REPORTS. P. A16;

AN EDITORIAL, "SUNRISE IN SOUTH AFRICA," STATES THAT THE
JAIL THAT OPENED SUNDAY FOR NELSON MANDELA "BEGAN TO FREE A
NATION EVEN AS IT FREED A MAN." MANDELA ROSE TO A
"REMARKABLE OCCASION:" HE PRAISED HIS FOLLOWERS FOR THEIR
STEADFASTNESS, BUT REMINDED THEM THAT DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
HAD TO BE RESPECTED; HE PRAISED F.W. DE KLERK AS "A MAN OF
INTEGRITY; HE DEFENDED THE ARMED STRUGGLE, BUT ALSO SAID HE
HOPED A NEW CLIMATE WOULD END THE NEED FOR A "DEFENSIVE"
RESPONSE. THE EDITORIAL GOES ON TO SAY THAT GLOBAL
SANCTIONS HAVE HASTENED REFORMS, INCLUDING THE RELEASE OF
MANDELA AND THE UNBANNING OF THE ANC. "THESE STEPS ARE A
VINDICATION OF SANCTIONS, NOT AN ARGUMENT FOR REPEALING
THEM." AT THE SAME TIME, THE EDITORIAL SAYS BUSH HAS TAKEN
"THE RIGHT FIRST STEP" IN INVITING BOTH DE KLERK AND
MANDELA TO WASHINGTON AND THAT "IT MAY MAKE SENSE TO EASE
SOME PENALTIES AS PRETORIA MOVES FORWARD, THEREBY PROVIDING
INCENTIVES FOR FURTHER CHANGE WHILE KEEPING THE LEGISLATION
IN FORCE." WHILE CONCEDING THE SAG STILL HAS TO TAKE OTHER
STEPS TO CREATE A CLIMATE FOR NEGOTIATIONS AND THAT IT
WON'T BE EASY TO MESH THE GOALS OF THE SAG AND THE
ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT, EVEN AFTER NEGOTIATIONS HAVE
BEGUN, THE EDITORIAL ENDS ON AN UPBEAT NOTE: "IN CAPE TOWN
AS ELSEWHERE . . . THE UNTHINKABLE HAS BECOME IMAGINABLE
AND A STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BEGUN BY NAMELESS ORDINARY
PEOPLE HAS FOUND CHAMPIONS IN LEADERS LIKE MIKHAIL
GORBACHEV, LECH WELESA, VACLEV HAVEL, F.W. DE KLERK AND,
NOW, NELSON MANDELA." P. A24;

IN AN OP-ED PIECE, TONY LEWIS WRITES OF MANDELA'S WALK TO
FREEDOM: "NOT MANY EVENTS IN THE WORLD HAVE SUCH SYMBOLIC
EMOTIONAL POWER." MANDELA'S SURVIVAL OF 27 YEARS IN PRISON
IS TESTIMONY "THAT HIS CAUSE - NON-RACIAL DEMOCRACY IN
SOUTH AFRICA - COULD NOT BE CRUSHED." THE ENTHUSIASTIC
RESPONSE OF SOUTH AFRICANS TO A FREE MANDELA IS AN
EXPRESSION OF A REALITY THE SAG HAS TRIED TO SUPPRESS FOR
MANY YEARS: "THAT BLACKS, 75 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION,
WANT TO HAVE THEIR PART IN RUNNING THE COUNTRY." LEWIS
GOES ON TO SAY THAT DE KLERK MUST HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE
ENORMOUS EMOTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS WHICH WOULD BE AROUSED
BY MANDELA'S RELEASE AND HE MUST BE CREDITED WITH "RARE
COURAGE." WHILE THERE ARE STILL DIFFICULTIES, INCLUDING
THE RESISTANCE OF RIGHT-WING WHITES TO ANY CHANGE, THE
REACTION OF WHITES - FROM THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED SABC TO
PIK BOTHA AND WHITES IN SUNDAY'S CROWD ON THE ROAD TO CAPE
TOWN - HAS BEEN "SURPRISINGLY FRIENDLY" TO MANDELA. LEWIS
CONCLUDES THAT INSTEAD OF DWELLING ON APARTHEID'S PAST
EVILS, "IT IS BETTER TO THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES
AHEAD. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A NEW SOUTH AFRICA COULD MAKE TO
ITSELF AND ITS CONTINENT." P. A25;

AP REPORTS PLATINUM FUTURES PRICES JUMPED YESTERDAY AFTER
NELSON MANDELA ENDORSED ANTI-APARTHEID VIOLENCE AND
NATIONALIZATION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S MINING INDUSTRY, SENDING
FEAR ABOUT SUPPLIES THROUGH THE PRECIOUS METALS MARKETS.
BERNARD SAVAIKO, SENIOR METALS ANALYST AT PAINE WEBBER
INC., SAID MINE SABOTAGE POSES OBVIOUS PRODUCTION PROBLEMS,
WHILE THE ANC'S CALL FOR NATIONALIZATION OF THE MINES
"LEAVES OPEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE FLOW OF SUPPLY WILL
DIMINISH BECAUSE OF THE INEFFICIENCIES OF GOVERNMENT-OWNED
MINING OPERATIONS AS OPPOSED TO THOSE CONTROLLED BY FREE
ENTERPRISE." SOUTH AFRICA IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCER
OF PLATINUM AND GOLD. P. D17;

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE WORLD'S 42 POOREST NATIONS MET IN
DHAKA, BANGLADESH OVER THE WEEKEND TO DEVISE NEW WAYS TO
CONVINCE RICHER COUNTRIES THAT NEARLY HALF A BILLION PEOPLE
NEED HELP DESPERATELY. THIS FIRST MINISTERIAL MEETING OF
LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES IS EXPECTED TO RESTATE FORCEFULLY
A PLEA THAT AID DONORS AND INTERNATIONAL LENDING
ORGANIZATINS TREAT THE POOREST NATIONS SEPARATELY FROM THE
REST OF THE DEVELOPING WORLD. THE GROUP OF 42 - OF WHICH
28 ARE IN AFRICA - WILL MEET WITH DONOR NATIONS IN GENEVA
AT THE END OF MARCH IN PREPARATION FOR A LARGER
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN PARIS IN SEPTEMBER ON THE
PLIGHT OF THE MOST DISADVANTAGED COUNTRIES. BARBARA
CROSSETTE REPORTS. P. A3;


THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

IN A LENGTHY ANALYSIS WRITTEN FROM THE ERITREAN FRONT,
GERALDINE BROOKS WRITES THAT THE STRUGGLE IN ERITREA, AFTER
28 YEARS, MAY BE NEAR A CLIMAX. OPPOSING BLACK AFRICA'S
BEST-EQUIPPED ARMY, THAT OF ETHIOPIA, EPLF GUERRILLAS SEEK
INDEPENDENCE FOR AN ENGLAND-SIZE STRIP OF RED SEA COAST
THAT IS HOME TO 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE. ETHIOPIA ANNEXED IT IN

1962. THE GUERRILLAS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR IT EVER
SINCE. A RAPID STRING OF GUERRILLA VICTORIES FORCED THE
GPDRE INTO PEACE TALKS MEDIATED BY JIMMY CARTER LAST FALL.
IN THE PAST WEEK, THE EPLF ADVANCED AGAIN IN FIERCE
FIGHTING AROUND THE RED SEA PORT OF MASSAWA. THEY CLAIM TO
HAVE CAPTURED THE PORT, WHILE THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMNENT
ONLY SAYS THAT HEAVY FIGHTING AT THE PORT CONTINUES. AN
ERITREAN VICTORY WOULD CULMINATE A STRUGGLE IN AFRICA'S
LONGEST WAR, BUT IT WOULD BE A VICTORY THAT HARDLY ANY OF
ERITREA'S NEIGHBORS SEEM TO DESIRE. AFRICAN NATIONS WORRY
THAT ONE SECESSIONIST VICTORY WOULD PUT THE WHOLE
CONTINENT'S MAP AT RISK. ISRAEL PREFERS THE PREDOMINANTLY
CHRISTIAN ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT TO THE ARAB ENCIRCLEMENT IT
FEARS WOULD FOLLOW A WIN BY PARTLY MOSLEM ERITREA. WAR AND
PERIODIC FAMINE NOTWITHSTANDING, THE ERITREANS HAVE MANAGED
TO BUILD A COMPLEX SOCIETY ON THEIR CAPTURED LAND.
SPENDING TWO WEEKS WITH THE EPLF, BROOKS SAW AN UNDERGROUND
MOVEMENT THAT IS LITERALLY THAT: SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS,
FACTORIES AND "GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS" ARE GOUGED OUT OF
ROCK OR BUILT IN EARTHEN TUNNELS TO HIDE FROM THE ENEMY'S
MIGS. THE EPLF'S LEADER, ISAIS AFEWERKE, CLAIMS THE
MOVEMENT IS NOT "MARXIST." "THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE DO
COLLECTIVELY, NOT BECAUSE WE WANT IT TO BE THAT WAY BUT
BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY ALTERNATIVE," HE SAYS. P. A1;

AN EDITORIAL ASSERTS THAT WITH MANDELA'S WALK TO FREEDOM,
"THE LEGEND ENDS AND THE HUMAN BEING COMES OUT." MANDELA'S
FIRST SPEECH IN CAPE TOWN, THE EDITORIAL GOES ON TO SAY,
FAILED TO REASSURE NON-ANC MEMBERS THAT HE WANTS
RECONCILIATION WITH ALL SOUTH AFRICANS. HE FAILED TO
MENTION ANY MODERATE BLACKS SUCH AS CHIEF BUTHELEZI,
PROMISED TO CONTINUE THE "ARMED STRUGGLE" AND PRAISED THE
SACP. HE ALSO OPENED AND CLOSED HIS SPEECH IN XHOSA, THE
LANGUAGE OF THE ANC'S DOMINANT ETHNIC GROUP. THE EDITORIAL
SUGGESTS THAT MANDELA WILL NEED TIME TO EVALUATE THE
SITUATION IN TODAY'S SOUTH AFRICA, WHICH HAS CHANGED
CONSIDERABLY IN THE YEARS HE WAS IN PRISON. NOTING
ECONOMIC PROGRESS BY BLACKS - 57 PERCENT OF ALL HOUSING
PERMITS LAST YEAR WENT TO BLACKS, FOR EXAMPLE - THE
EDITORIAL ASSERTS THAT THIS "SILENT REVOLUTION HAS NOT ONLY
BEEN EFFECTIVE IN UNDERMINING APARTHEID, BUT HAS ALSO LED
MANY BLACKS TO REVIEW THEIR POLITICS. "THE ANC'S MOST
RADICAL ELEMENTS MAY FIND LESS SUPPORT FOR SOCIALISM IN THE
TOWNSHIPS THAN THEY EXPECT." IF MANDELA DOES NOT TAKE THIS
INTO ACCOUNT, HE COULD FIND DIFFICULTY IN PURSUING THE
ANC'S AGENDA. THE EDITORIAL CONCLUDES: "THE ANC HAS
ALWAYS ACTED AS IF NEGOTIATIONS WOULD BE CONDUCTED AROUND A
SQUARE TABLE WITH TWO CHAIRS, ONE FOR THE ANC AND ONE FOR
THE WHITES. THE SOONER BOTH SIDES REALIZE THAT A ROUND
TABLE WITH CHAIRS REPRESENTING MANY INTERESTS WILL BE
NEEDED, THE MORE SMOOTHLY A TRANSITION TO A POST-APARTHEID
SOUTH AFRICA IS LIKELY TO GO." P. A20;

INTERNATIONAL AID DONORS PLEDGED 27 MILLION DOLLARS TO HELP
AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURS GET THEIR BUSINESSES OFF THE GROUND.
THE AFRICA PROJECT DEVELOPMENT FACILITY SAID AFTER A
MEETING WITH 14 WESTERN DONOR NATIONS AT THE WORLD BANK
THAT IT AIMED TO FIND MORE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS OVER THE
NEXT FIVE YEARS. P. A16;


WASHINGTON POST

NELSON MANDELA TOOK A CONCILIATORY TONE TOWARD WHITE SOUTH
AFRICANS IN A FIFTY MINUTE PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING HIS
RELEASE. HE SAID THAT HE WANTED WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS WHO
FEAR FOR THEIR SECURITY TO FEEL SAFE ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF
BLACK-MAJORITY RULE, AND HE PREDICTED THAT NEGOTIATIONS ON
THE NATION'S POLITICAL FUTURE WOULD BEGIN SOON. HE ALSO
SUGGESTED THAT THE ANC MIGHT STOP ITS ARMED STRUGGLE IF
PRETORIA ENDED THE STATE OF EMERGENCY AND AGREED TO OTHER
CONCESSIONS. BUT EVEN AS HE TRIED TO CALM WHITES' FEARS,
HE DECLARED SUPPORT YESTERDAY FOR NATIONALIZATION OF KEY
SOUTH AFRICAN INDUSTRIES, SETTING OFF CONCERN IN THE
BUSINESS WORLD. GOLD PRICES FELL 4 PERCENT ON THE
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE AND THE FINANCIAL RAND
PLUMMETED 10 PERCENT. VIOLENCE, FOLLOWING MANDELA'S
RELEASE, WAS UP SHARPLY. POLICE REPORTED 40 PEOPLE KILLED
AND SCORES INJURED SINCE SUNDAY, INCLUDING 10 SHOT WHEN
POLICE OPENED FIRE ON LOOTERS WHO BROKE AWAY FROM
CELEBRATING CROWDS NEAR EAST LONDON ON SUNDAY. IN CAPE
TOWN, MANDELA FIELDED QUESTIONS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
PRESS CORPS. HE SAID HE HAD BEEN "ABSOLUTELY SURPRISED" TO
SEE SO MANY WHITES WELCOMING HIM SUNDAY ON THE SHORT DRIVE
FROM THE PRISON INTO CAPE TOWN AND HE STRESSED THAT IF THE
NATION'S 25 MILLION BLACK MAJORITY ASSUMES POWER, SOUTH
AFRICA'S 5 MILLION WHITES NEED HAVE NO FEARS FOR THEIR
FUTURE. "THE ANC IS VERY MUCH CONCERNED TO ADDRESS THE
QUESTION OF THE CONCERN OF WHITES OVER THE (BLACK) DEMAND
OF ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE," HE SAID. "THEY INSIST ON
STRUCTURAL GUARANTEES TO ENSURE THAT THE REALIZATION OF
THIS DEMAND DOES NOT RESULT IN THE DOMINATION OF WHITES BY
BLACKS. WE UNDERSTAND THOSE FEELINGS, AND THE ANC IS
CONCERNED TO ADDRESS THAT PROBLEM AND TO FIND A SOLUTION
WHICH WILL SUIT BOTH THE BLACKS AND WHITES OF THIS
COUNTRY." MANDELA HINTED THAT THE ANC IS CONSIDERING SOME
RECIPROCAL MOVE FOLLOWING DE KLERK'S ACTIONS, BUT HE
INDICATED THAT THIS COULD OCCUR ONLY IF THE GOVERNMENT ENDS
THE STATE OF EMERGENCY AND RELEASES ALL POLITICAL
PRISONERS. HE REPEATED HIS SUPPORT FOR THE ANC'S
COMMITMENT TO THE NATIONALIZATION OF THE MINES AND SIMILAR
SECTORS. WHEN PRESSED TO SAY WHETHER HE WAS A COMMUNIST,
MANDELA REPLIED, "LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR. I DO NOT BELONG TO
ANY PARTY APART FROM THE ANC." DAVID OTTAWAY REPORTS. P.
1; NYT. P. 1; CSM P. 1; W.T. P. A1;

ON MANDELA'S RELEASE, MARY MCGRORY WRITES, "IN A SEASON OF
STUNNING POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS, THE RELEASE OF NELSON
MANDELA WAS IN A CLASS BY ITSELF, PARTAKING OF THE FALL OF
THE BERLIN WALL AND THE SOVIET CEDING OF MONOPOLY POWER.
MOST SPECTATORS AT THE GALLOPING HISTORY WE GET THESE DAYS
EXPECTED SOUTH AFRICA TO BE THE LAST TO CHANGE OR GIVE UP
ITS TITLE FOR INTRACTABILITY TO ISRAEL OR NORTHERN
IRELAND." MCGRORY CREDITS GIL KULICK OF THE CARNEGIE
FOUNDATION FOR BEING ONE OF THE FIRST TO RECOGNIZE DE
KLERK'S SINCERITY IN WANTING "A NEW AFRICA." P. 2;

IN AN EDITORIAL, THE POST EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT NELSON
MANDELA'S TRIBUTE TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY.
THE EDITORIAL ASKS WHY COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBERS STILL
DOMINATE THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE ANC AND WHY THEY
EVIDENTLY ALSO HAVE A STRONG POSITION IN THE MASS
DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT. THE POST URGES THE ANC "TO ENSURE
THAT THE BLACK LEADERSHIP IS NOT CAPTURED OR INFLUENCED BY
A PARTY THAT IS A RELIC OF A CONSPIRATORIAL PAST." P. 20;

PRESIDENT BUSH INDICATED YESTERDAY THAT HE WILL NOT ASK
CONGRESS TO CONSIDER LIFTING ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST
SOUTH AFRICA IN RESPONSE TO THE RELEASE OF NELSON MANDELA,
BUT HE ADDED THAT SOME OF THE SANCTIONS ARE
"COUNTERPRODUCTIVE." AT A WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE DEVOTED
ALMOST ENTIRELY TO SOUTH AFRICA AND EAST-WEST RELATIONS,
BUSH SAID MANDELA'S RELEASE WAS A "DRAMATIC SIGN" THAT
SOUTH AFRICA IS MOVING TOWARD A MORE RACIALLY EQUITABLE
SOCIETY. ON SANCTIONS, THE PRESIDENT CITED THE CAAA AND
SAID "I AM BOUND BY THE LAW...THE SANCTIONS REMAIN ON UNTIL
THE SOUTH AFRICANS HAVE TAKEN CERTAIN (OTHER) STEPS" TOWARD
RACIAL EQUALITY. IN A TELEVISION INTERVIEW, HANK COHEN
SAID THAT U.S. SANCTIONS PLAYED ONLY A SMALL ROLE IN
MANDELA'S RELEASE AND THAT SOME "GESTURE" SHOULD BE MADE TO
DE KLERK. "WHAT WE REALLY CARE ABOUT IS ENCOURAGING
FURTHER PROGRESS....IF THAT MEANS RELAXATION OF SANCTIONS,
FINE." ANN DEVROY REPORTS. P. 14; BALT. SUN P. A1;
W.T. P. A1;

JESSE JACKSON PRAISED PRESIDENT DE KLERK, COMPARING HIS
RELEASE OF MANDELA WITH LINCOLN'S FREEING THE SLAVES.
"THIS WAS A COURAGEOUS STEP FOR PRESIDENT DE KLERK," HE
TOLD THE CAPE TOWN PRESS CLUB. THE WINDOWS OF JACKSON'S
MERCEDES WERE BROKEN AND THE ROOF CAVED IN AS CROWDS
SWARMED OVER THE CAR MISTAKING HIM FOR MANDELA. JACKSON
WAS WAITING INSIDE CITY HALL WITH A SMALL GROUP OF SOUTH
AFRICAN CIVIC AND CHURCH LEADERS WHEN MANDELA ARRIVED TO
GIVE HIS FIRST SPEECH. JACKSON, WHO'S VISIT HAS BEEN
LARGELY OVERSHADOWED BY MANDELA'S RELEASE, HAS BEEN URGING
BLACK OPPOSITION GROUPS TO STRIVE FOR UNITY AMONG
THEMSELVES. HE SAID THAT HE WAS CONVINCED AFTER MEETING
WITH DE KLERK THAT THE PRESIDENT INTENDS TO "HONOR HIS
WORD" AND CONTINUE HIS REFORMS. HE ADDED THAT HE HAD A
SENSE THAT DE KLERK WOULD LIFT THE STATE OF EMERGENCY
SHORTLY. DAVID OTTAWAY REPORTS. P. 14;

NELSON MANDELA AGREED TO SPEND LAST NIGHT AT AN UNDISCLOSED
SITE NORTH OF JOHANNESBURG AFTER THE COMMITTEE OF BLACK
LEADERS HANDLING HIS SCHEDULE DECIDED THAT THE HUGE CROWDS
OF BOISTEROUS PEOPLE WAITING TO WELCOME HIM BACK TO HIS
HOME POSED A THREAT TO HIS SAFETY. FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT
DAY, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE POURED INTO THE STREETS TO
CHEER AND DANCE IN CELEBRATION, WHILE TWO STADIUMS, WHERE
MANDELA WAS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR, WERE SWAMPED BY
UNMANAGEABLE CROWDS. UNNERVED BY THE VIOLENCE THAT BROKE
OUT AT MANDELA'S FIRST PUBLIC RALLY IN CAPE TOWN ON SUNDAY,
THE COMMITTEE CANCELED BOTH OF MONDAY'S SCHEDULED
APPEARANCES AND ANNOUNCED THAT MANDELA WOULD SPEAK TUESDAY
IN THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST SOCCER STADIUM, JUST OUTSIDE
SOWETO WHERE SECURITY COULD BE MORE EASILY ARRANGED. THE
GOVERNMENT CANNOT PROVIDE POLICE PROTECTION IN THE
TOWNSHIPS WHERE POLICE ARE HATED, AND IT IS RELUCTANT TO
ALLOW ARMED ANC MEMBERS TO GUARD MANDELA. AS A RESULT,
MANDELA HAS HARDLY ANY EFFECTIVE PROTECTION. MEANWHILE,
THE OVERALL LEVEL OF VIOLENCE IN THE COUNTRY HAS RISEN
SHARPLY IN THE VIBRANT ATMOSPHERE FOLLOWING MANDELA'S
LEASE. ALLISTER SPARKS REPORTS. P. 14; BALT. SUN P.
A1; W.T. P. A1; BALT. SUN P. 2A;

JACK ANDERSON AND DALE VAN ATTA REPORT THAT NELSON MANDELA
OWES HIS FREEDOM IN LARGE PART TO EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF
STATE, BOUTROS GHALI, WHO HAS BEEN NEGOTIATING IN SECRET
FOR TWO YEARS TO FREE HIM AND ROLL BACK APARTHEID.
ACCORDING TO ANDERSON AND VAN ATTA, GHALI KEPT HIS MEETINGS
WITH SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICIALS QUIET AND HELD THEM IN NEUTRAL
GROUND IN PARIS, CAIRO AND HARARE. FIRST HE CONCENTRATED
ON GETTING THE PAC AND ANC TO WORK TOGETHER. EGYPT HAS A
HISTORY OF FUNDING BOTH GROUPS. THEN HE DREW THE SAG INTO
THE TALKS. P. B8;


THE WASHINGTON TIMES

KIDS FROM THE BEVERLY FARMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN POTOMAC
ARE PICTURED WAITING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF CONGO PRESIDENT
DENIS SASSOU-NGUESSO AT THE WHITE HOUSE. P. B1;

AP REPORTS FROM JOHANNESBURG THAT WHEN MANDELA EXPRESSED
SUPPORT YESTERDAY FOR NATIONALIZING THE MINES AND OTHER
ASSETS, HE SHOCKED THE BUSINESS WORLD AND GOLD MINING
STOCKS FELL 4 PERCENT ON THE JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE.
THE FINANCIAL RAND, A SPECIAL CURRENCY USED TO ENCOURAGE
FOREIGN INVESTMENT, PLUMMENTED 10 PERCENT ON THE BLACK
LEADER'S FIRST DAY OF FREEDOM. GOLD PRICES ROSE IN THE
U.S. AND EUROPE. GAVIN RELLY, CHAIRMAN OF THE
ANGLO-AMERICAN CORP. MINING CONGLOMERATE CALLED MANDELA'S
RELEASE "A MAJOR STEP TOWARD NORMALIZING SOUTH AFRICA'S
POLITICAL LIFE." COMMENTING PRIVATELY ON MANDELA'S STANCE
ON NATIONALIZATION, A BANK ECONOMIST SAID IT CAUSED
"JITTERS AND UNCERTAINTY" AND "WILL DEFINITELY HAVE A
NEGATIVE EFFECT ON FOREIGN PERCEPTIONS OF INVESTMENT IN
SOUTH AFRICA, ON LOCAL BUSINSS CONFIDENCE AND ON PRIVATE
FIXED INVESTMENT." BUSINESS LEADERS ARE HOPEFUL THAT DE
KLERK'S REFORMS AND CONCESSIONS WILL PERSUADE WESTERN
COUNTRIES TO ABANDON OR EASE THE SANCTIONS IMPOSED IN
RECENT YEARS. WHEN DE KLERK LEGALIZED THE ANC, PM THATCHER
CANCELED ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL EMBARGOES AND SHE NOW WANTS
TO END A BAN ON NEW INVESTMENT. P. A9;

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT DE KLERK HAS TAKEN A BOLD AND
COURAGEOUS STEP IN RELEASING NELSON MANDELA. CHRISTOPHER
MATTHEWS, BUREAU CHIEF OF THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER AND
NATIONALLY SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, QUESTIONS WHAT WE
AMERICANS CAN DO. "LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD, WE'VE BEEN
CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED BY MR. DE KLERK'S BOLDNESS. AS SO OFTEN
IN OUR DEALINGS WITH SOUTH AFRICA, WE FIND OURSELVES
TONGUE-TIED." HIS QUESTIONS ARE DO WE APPLAUD HIM FOR WHAT
HE'S DONE OR DO WE CONDEMN HIM FOR WHAT HE HASN'T DONE? DO
WE CHEER OR SIT ON OUR HANDS? MATTHEWS SAYS WE HAVE
ALIENATED WHITES WITH OUR LIMITED SANCTIONS AND UNLIMITED
MORAL POSTURING. WE'VE TURNED OFF BLACKS BY "KEEPING OUR
IDEALS IN THE BACK OF THE BUS WHILE SITTING OUR INTERESTS
UP FRONT." MATTHEWS REFLECTS BACK TO 1965 WHEN ROBERT F.
KENNEDY ADDRESSED STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
AND FOUND COMMON GROUND. HE IDENTIFIED NOT ONLY WITH THE
ASPIRATIONS OF THE BLACK MAJORITY BUT WITH THE HISTORY AND
FEARS OF THE AFRIKANERS WHO SETTLED THERE 300 YEARS AGO.
MATTHEWS CALLS FOR THE CAREFUL USE OF THE CARROTS AND THE
STICKS. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS HAVE BEEN A USEFUL STICK AND
THEIR ELIMINATION CAN BE A USEFUL CARROT. WE SHOULD OFFER
THE CARROT GLADLY -- NOT DANGLE IT. HE CALLS FOR THE U.S.
TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NOT PRESCRIBE IT.
THE U.S. NEEDS TO SHOW BOTH COMPASSION AND SMART POLITICS.
"FREEDOM IS TOO IMPORTANT TO PLAY HARD TO GET." P. F1;

AN EDITORIAL CARTOON SHOWS MANDELA'S FIST WITH THE CHAIN
AROUND HIS WRIST BROKEN. P. F2;

WHEN MANDELA WALKED OUT OF VICTOR VERSTER PRISON SUNDAY HE
GRADUATED FROM ICON TO LEADER. THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WILL
SHOW WHETHER HE IS "MADE OF THE SAME STUFF AS OTHER
CHARISMATIC, WORLD-HISTORICAL FIGURES WHO DEFIED
EXTRAORDINARY ODDS AND OBSTACLES TO LEAD THEIR PEOPLE
UPWARD." THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DISADVANTAGES FACING
MANDELA. UNTIL 5-6 YEARS AGO, MANDELA WAS AN OBSCURE
OPERATIVE OF AN UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE MOVEMENT. HIS
CAPACITIES FOR REAL LEADERSHIP REMAIN COMPLETELY UNTESTED.
AMONG THE FACTORS WORKING AGAINST MANDELA ARE HIS AGE, THE
FACTIONALISM WITHIN THE ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT ITSELF, AND
MANDELA'S ABSENCE FROM THE SOCIETY FOR 27 YEARS. QUESTIONS
TO BE ASKED ARE: HOW WEDDED IS MANDELA TO THE MARXIST
IDEOLOGY, WHAT DID HE MEAN WHEN HE CALLED FOR "A
FUNDAMENTAL RESTRUCTURING OF OUR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
SYSTEMS TO ENSURE THAT THE INEQUALITIES OF APARTHEID ARE
ADDRESSED?" THE EDITORIAL URGES MANDELA TO TAKE A LONG
VACATION INSIDE SOUTH AFRICA AND SEE WHAT IS REALLY
HAPPENING IN HIS OWN COUNTRY AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE

1964. "IF MANDELA CLINGS TO THE LEFTIST ORTHODOXY HE HELD
27 YEARS AGO, SOUTH AFRICAN BLACKS MAY BE FORCED TO TRADE
THE OLD SHACKLES OF APARTHEID FOR NEW SHACKLES OF SOCIALIST
POVERTY." P. F2;


THE BALTIMORE SUN

A CARTOON SHOWS PRESIDENT F.W. DE KLERK BEING BITTEN BY A
SOUTH AFRICAN CONSERVATIVE DOG WITH THE HEADLINE, "FREE
F.W. DE KLERK" P. 8A;

AN EDITORIAL URGES THE U.S. TO DECIDE ON AN APPROPRIATE
RESPONSE TO ENCOURAGE CONTINUED MOVEMENT NOW THAT NELSON
MANDELA HAS BEEN RELEASED AND OTHER SIGNS OF POLITICAL
PROCESS ARE VISIBLE IN SOUTH AFRICA. THE QUESTION
CONFRONTING THE U.S. IS SHOULD THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
CONSIDER LIFTING SANCTIONS AS A SIGN OF ENCOURAGEMENT OR
SHOULD THE U.S. WEIGH THE IDEA OF TOUGHER NEW SANCTIONS TO
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON, AS ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVISTS WITHIN
SOUTH AFRICA ARE PROPOSING? NEITHER APPROACH WOULD BE
APPROPRIATE AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME. TOUGHER NEW SANCTIONS
WOULD PENALIZE THE DE KLERK GOVERNMENT UNNECESSARILY AT THE
MOMENT IT HAS EMBARKED ON HISTORIC REFORM. BUT, THE L986
LAW LISTS FIVE CONDITIONS THE SAG MUST MEET BEFORE THE U.S.
CAN LIFT SANCTIONS. THESE CONDITIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN
MET. THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHOULD INSTEAD BE LOOKING FOR
WAYS TO EXPRESS ITS APPROVAL OF THE ACTIONS THE DE KLERK
ADMINISTRATION IS EMBARKING ON AND BOLSTER THE DE KLERK
GOVERNMENT AGAINST A POSSIBLE RIGHT-WING WHITE BACKLASH.
BUSH'S SEPARATE INVITATIONS TO DE KLERK AND MANDELA ARE
POSITIVE GESTURES. P. 8A.

EAGLEBURGER

UNCLASSIFIED

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