S.A. Minister says U.S. should apologise

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 8

S.A. Minister says U.S. should apologise

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg The South African Foreign Minister (Mr Pik Botha) has called on the United States; to apologise for its retaliatory expulsion ol tvs o South African nfi'itary at-, taches. He told reporters that the; South African Charge; d’Affaires tn Washington had been told to register; “our strongest protest at; this purely retaliatory action! by the United States Gov-; ernment.

“I am convinced that the overwhelming majority of Americans could not acquiesce in this kind of behaviour,” he said. "I believe that the United States Government ought to apologise.” The United States action was in retaliation for South Africa’s expulsion of three American Embassy officials after allegations by the South African Prime Minister (Mr Pieter Botha) that their light aircraft had been used for spying on defence installations.' Diplomatic observers said any escalation of the confrontation between the two countries after the tit-for-tat dismissals might be more harmful to South Africa than to the United States. According to Foreign Minister Botha, a big United States complaint when it called in the South African Charge d'Affaires in Washington, was that Prime Minister Botha had made the incident public within minutes of informing the United States of his decision. An informed source said South Africa had long

known about the camera J mounted in the United 'States Embassy aircraft , since it had been based at a .. South African military air- [' field for some time. He suggested the South African decision to announce . the expulsion of the Amen- , can officals had been mot: vated by other consid lerations. J Diplomats suggested the , move might have oee.i intended to draw international I;attention away from an 'm- . I passe over the future of South West Africa (Namibia) and South Africa's emb.t- . rassment over its “Mulder,'gate” slush-funds scandal. i "Relations between the '(two countries are impaired, I but not irreparably dam’aged,” one South African [(official told NZPA-Reuter. (I “They haven’t reached the [stage of severance, but I (cannot speculate on whether hthis will or will not flow ; from the present situation.”