----- Original Message ----- From: Doug Henwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: lbo-talk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 4:15 PM Subject: Fwd: (50 Years) South Africa Archbishop calls for debt repudiation > From: Soren [Ambrose] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > ARCHBISHOP ISSUES URGENT CALL TO STOP SERVICING DEBT > > Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has issued an urgent call to the > world's highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) to close ranks and refuse to > service their debt to the G-8 countries. > > "The G-8 summit, held in Japan last week, was not only the most expensive > but a slap in the face to the many poor countries that have already paid the > capital amount owed several time over. In South Africa our servicing of > odious debts incurred by the apartheid regime is the second highest item on > our national budget. We must, in the interest of the whole world, divert the > R48-billion we repay annually to fighting AIDS and developing our country. > It is the best way to turn the African Renaissance from a political > catchphrase to reality. > > "If the wealthy G-8 countries lack the will to cross the Rubicon, we must > take the initiative. It is time for us to recognise that we are dealing with > the same colonialists who have never acted voluntarily in our interest." > > Ndungane said the more developed of the emerging nations had understood the > wealthy countries' concerns regarding good governance. > > "This is precisely why we were so patient regarding the conditions to > qualify for debt relief. These were in terms of an initiative announced at > last year's G-7 summit and the intention was to cut the debt burden by $100 > billion. But that momentum has fizzled out. As fat cat negotiators delay the > process and attend summits that cost as much as it costs to put 12 million > children in a poor country in school, people - not obscure statistics - are > dying like flies. The AIDS issue alone should have given some impetus to > their sense of a moral imperative. > > The archbishop is a patron Jubilee 2000 International, Jubilee 2000 Africa > and Jubilee 2000 Southern Africa. He added that while he fully backed > statements issued by the organisation this week-end he was convinced that > the time had come to act. > > "Steve Biko, one of my greatest heroes, used to say, 'Black Man you are on > your own'. He was right and we must seize the initiative now. Within the > South African context, the G-8 summit was a slap in our State President's > face, especially in light of his appeals regarding the eradication of > poverty." > > Ndungane pointed out that the British - who alone among the wealthy country > seemed concerned about the plight of the HIPC countries - had pointed the > way by refusing to service their post-World War 2 debts. > > > > _____________________________________ > > Jubilee 2000 South Africa Press Statement On the G7 Announcement on Debt > > Johannesburg 24 July 2000 For Immediate Release > > Jubilee 2000 South Africa, on the occasion of the G8 meeting in Okinawa, > fully endorses the call by Njongonkulu Ndungane, the Anglican Archbishop, > for the poor countries of the world to close ranks and refuse to service > their debts to the G-8 countries. > > It is now clear beyond doubt that the rich, having learnt nothing from > history, continue to act on the morality of might is right. President Thabo > Mbeki has had his face slapped by the leaders of the rich countries to whom > he made impassioned and carefully reasoned pleas for 'debt > relief'. Other than for publicity purposes, these leaders plainly have > little interest in addressing the problems of the majority of the people of > the world. They, who have spent more than $750 million (R5.25 bn) on > themselves during their few days in Japan, then lecture the rest of world > about the need not to squander money. $750-million dollars is equivalent to > the total annual debt-servicing of Guyana, Rwanda, Laos, Zambia, Nicaragua, > Benin, Cambodia, and Haiti. The $750 million dollars spent on the G7 > Conference is more than 500% larger than what our South African government > has spent on its poverty reduction programmes in the six years > since democracy came to our country. > > We, in South Africa spend some R48-billion each year just servicing what the > government recognises as the public debt. We also inherited a direct > foreign debt from the apartheid state of well over R100 billion. In > addition we are sitting on the huge assets accumulated since 1989 by the > Government Employees Pension Fund of more than R161-billion. > > These apartheid debts are not the responsibility of the new South Africa. > International law recognises them to be "odious" and therefore not the > liability of the post-apartheid government. Jubilee 2000, therefore, again > calls upon our government to negotiate for the cancellation of the apartheid > debt in terms of the Doctrine of Odious Debt, failing which to declare a > moratorium on all debt repayments. > > Issued by Neville Gabriel > > > Jubilee 2000 South Africa > c/o SACBC > PO Box 941 > PRETORIA > 0001 > South Africa > Tel. +27 (0)12 323 6458 > Cell. +27 (0)83 449 3934 > Fax. +27 (0)12 326 6218 > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.aidc.org.za/j2000 > http://jubileesouth.net > > > Media Statement > 24 July 2000 : IMMEDIATE > Okinawa > > STATEMENT BY JUBILEE 2000 SOUTH AFRICA ON THE G7 ANNOUNCEMENT ON DEBT > > Jubilee 2000 South Africa is outraged at the G7's announcement on debt at > their Summit here in Okinawa. The G7 have attempted to rehash old pledges > that have failed, effectively imposing further conditions on the promises of > limited debt cancellation that have yet to be delivered a year after they > were made in Cologne. None of the countries promised debt > cancellation under the G7's "Enhanced HIPC Initiative" have received it. Yet > the G7 misleadingly notes that "progress (has been) made". > > Neville Gabriel, National Secretary of Jubilee 2000 South Africa, said, "We > have every reason to believe that these are yet more empty promises. We are > astonished that the G7 have ignored global public opinion by reversing debt > cancellation processes. They are effectively sentencing 19,000 African > children a day to death by debt". > > 19,000 die each day from preventable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa, the > region that carries the heaviest burden of illegitimate and unpayable debt. > The region spends four times more on servicing debt than on health and > education combined. > > The onerous conditions attached to debt cancellation will continue to > override the potential benefits. In addition, the denial of debt > cancellation to countries "currently affected by military conflicts" is > hypocritical because arms exported predominantly from G7 countries are > used in the conflicts they refer to. > > No attention has been given to cancellation of odious debts, debts of > post-conflict countries, and countries affected by severe natural disasters > - all of which are relevant to Southern Africa. > > The Summit will cost R5.25 billion. That is the amount required to cancel > debt payments for one year for all of Rwanda, Zambia, Cambodia, Nicaragua, > Benin, Haiti, Guyana, and Laos. > > As the G7 assess their own economies as moving "towards more balanced and > sustainable patterns of growth", they have yet again failed to act to > reverse the growing impoverishment in developing countries and global > inequality. > > Effectively the G7 debt decision will unleash a global reaction of protest > that will be felt strongly at the UN Millennium Summit in New York and the > Annual IMF / World Bank Meeting in Prague in September this year. > > / . . . ends > > > > =========================================================== > 50 Years Is Enough Network http://www.50years.org > To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > unsubscribe > in the body of the message. Questions? email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
