Sanctions Against South Africa

EDM number 482 in 1989-90, proposed by Richard Caborn on 07/02/1990.

That this House welcomes the moves announced by F.W. de Klerk on Friday 2nd February including the lifting of the ban on the ANC; recognises, however, that these moves fall significantly short of the measures agreed by the Organisation for African Unity, and the United Nations, to which Britain subscribed, as necessary to create a climate for negotiations in South Africa; furthermore recognises that none of these moves involves the removal of the pillars of apartheid; recalls that Britain committed itself at the Commonwealth, the last European summit and at the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in December 1989, that there should be no relaxation of international pressure on South Africa until 'profound and irreversible change had been obtained'; therefore, since the moves announced by F.W. de Klerk were neither profound nor irreversible, condemns the decision of the Prime Minister to unilaterally lift the restrictions on cultural, scientific and academic relations with South Africa which were imposed as key elements of European Community and Commonwealth packages of measures in 1985; and demands that the sanctions in place should remain until the South African people request their lifting.

This motion has been signed by a total of 62 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.