Sir, - The President, Mrs Robinson's State visit to South Africa which began on March 26th is the first ever by an Irish head of state to that country. It is well timed in light of Ireland's forthcoming EU presidency and the ongoing trade talks between the EU and South Africa. The past two years have seen the country's peaceful transition to democracy under President Mandela held up as one of the few signs of hope on the African continent.
Yet South Africa is a country of contrasts. Apartheid has ended, but millions of South Africans still live in desperate poverty. For example, child death rates for black South Africans are worse than average in the Third World; over 12 million black South Africans lack safe drinking water and out of an economically active black population of 11 million, almost 50 per cent are unemployed.
In the past, campaigns to boycott trade helped bring down apartheid. However, in trade terms today the legacy of apartheid lives on as the country receives much less favourable trade terms from the EU than other African and non African states. For example a South African tangerine faces an import tax of 20p per pound while the same product from Morocco pays nothing. On avocados South Africa pays 6p per pound Israel pays nothing and so on. On average farm products (including wine and fruits) faced punishing import taxes of about 18 per cent last year.
The just published White Paper on Foreign Policy highlights among other areas the Irish Government's desire to expand development co operation links with the new South Africa ("significant resources will be committed to post apartheid South Africa"). This is advocated in the context of the Government's overall objective of ensuring coherence between various aspects of Irish foreign policy. In this scenario our Government could promote sustainable development through pressing at EU level for a fair trade deal which would give South Africa better access to European markets.
President Robinson during her visit has heard recognition of both successive Irish governments and the Irish people's commitment and action towards realising an end to apartheid. This has been achieved but the future is still immensely challenging. Ireland's presidency of the EU will provide an ideal opportunity to promote Union trade links with South Africa which provide the basis for fair trade. South Africa is not asking for charity. All it wants is a fair deal so that its people can reap the fruits of their new found freedom. - Yours, etc.,
Director,
Trocaire,
Booterstown,
Co Dublin.