Pretoria supports UNITA sanctions policing

South Africa “fully supports” recommendations by the chairman of the UN sanctions committee on Angola to station observers at airports in the region to better monitor breaches of the UN embargo on supplies to the UNITA rebel movement.

“We are very concerned about the persistent allegations pointing the finger at South Africa,” foreign affairs spokesman Marco Boni told IRIN. “We are very happy that some kind of mechanism be put in place to implement the Security Council sanctions.”

Sanctions committee chairman Robert Fowler unveiled a new initiative in New York this week aimed at tightening sanctions against UNITA on the sale of arms and fuel, and the trade in diamonds. He recommended tougher diamond certification to curtail UNITA’s main source of revenue, and UN customs monitors in the region to supplement local efforts.

South Africa has improved surveillance of its 120 airfields and intensified regional customs coordination through border control measures by the National Inter Departmental Service, government officials insist. “If the [UN monitors] could help to strengthen that for the whole region we would welcome that,” Boni said.

According to Rennie van Zyl of South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority, “the arms situation is very much under control. Arms suppliers [to UNITA] would be operating in countries where there is very little infrastructure like the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo].”

But, he told IRIN, “where our failure occurs is in low volume precious items like diamonds and drugs. You can have a very high value of diamonds in a small executive jet.”

“The problem is multi-faceted, its not just diamonds and arms,” Boni said. “It also includes people moving in and out and allegations of mercenary activity.”