Assembly urges Security Council to impose mandatory oil embargo against South Africa

UN Chronicle, Feb, 1987

The Assembly called on: Member States and United Nations bodies to render material, financial, military and other assistance to South West Africa People's Organization; the European Economic Community to strengthen and extend urgently its economic sanctions against Pretoria; and all specialized agencies, in particular the International Monetary Fund, to terminate all collaboration with, and assistance to, South Africa.

The world body asked the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which operate the Urenco uranium-enrichment plant, to have Namibian uranium specifically excluded from the Treaty of Almelo, which regulates Urenco's activities.

Other texts: Resolution 41/39 B, on implementation of the United Nations plan for Namibian independence, was adopted by a vote of 133 in favour to none against, with 25 abstentions.

In addition to strongly condemning the November 1985 use of the veto by two Western permanent Security Council members to block imposition of sanctions against South Africa, it also called on the Council's Western permanent members to support imposition of "enforcement measures" by the Council "in order to ensure South Africa's compliance with Council resolutions".

The Assembly reiterated that Security Council resolutions 385 (1976) and 435 (1978), embodying the United Nations plan for Namibian independence, constituted the "only internationally accepted basis for a peaceful settlement of the Namibian problem" and demanded their immediate and unconditional implementation.

The Assembly demanded that South Africa immediately rescind its installation of the so-called interim government in Namibia. Manoeuvres by South Africa and its allies aimed at diverting attention from the central issue of Namibia's decolonization by introducing an East-West confrontation were rejected. The cessation of all co-operation with South Africa in the political, economic, diplomatic, military, nuclear, cultural, sports and other fields was called for.

By resolution 41/39 C, the Assembly expressed strong support for the efforts of the Council for Namibia, both as the legal administering authority for Namibia and as a policy-making organ of the United Nations. It decided that Namibia, represented by the Council, would participate as a full member in all conferences and meetings organized by the United Nations to which all States were invited, and approved the Council's report, making adequate financial provisions for implementation of its recommendations. The Assembly also decided that the Council would hold extraordinary plenary meetings in southern Africa in May 1987.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 151 in favour to none against, with 7 abstentions.

The Assembly, by resolution 41/39 D, decided to intensify its international campaign in support of the cause of Namibia, and asked the Council for Namibia to focus its activities towards greater mobilization in Western States, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany. The Council was also asked to counteract the "campaign of slander and disinformation carried out by South African agents from the so-called information centres established in several Western countries".