PM Transcripts

TEL 30/ 92
STATEMENT 13Y THlE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. MEATING MP
SOUTH AFRICAN REFERENDUM
I welcome the positive outcome of the South African
referendum and hope the result will add fresh momentum to
the process of political reform in that country.
I congratulate President de Klerk on receiving a clear
mandate from the white community for his reform program.
The referendum result is 8 boost for the forces of democracy
and Australia hopes that this will be the last racially
based poll in South Africa. It is important that the
victory won by whites in favour of genuine reform serves as
a catalyst to a ccelerate the development of a non-racial
democratic constitution.
I look forward to further positive developments in
negotiations. Further progress in the Convention for a
Democratic South Africa ( CODESA), the forum created for allparty
negotiations, will enable countries such as Australia
to review remaining sanctions against South Africa.
The level of violence in South Africa during the referendum
campaign is a cause for serious concern and I urge all
parties to redouble their efforts to bring a stop to the
senseless bloodshed.
The referendum result should speed the process of
democratisation, and I call on all parties to accept the
will of the people and move without delay towards the
establishmnet of a truly non-racial constitution in South
Africa. 18 MARCH 1992 T1E8L:. Mar. 92 21: 43 No. 023 P. 01/ 01