Just what did South Africa's Zuma tell Qaddafi in a phone call?
| Johannesburg, South Africa
The story came up on Libya鈥檚 state-owned television station, so consider the source.
Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa, reportedly called up Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi to offer moral support. He 鈥� now in the throes of a near civil war 鈥� to the African Union and to urge the AU to "take decisive action and uncover the conspiracy that Libyan is facing."
From Libyan TV, the report made its way onto the BBC Monitoring service, and from there it made its way onto South African news websites and social media services like Twitter, where South Africans talked of the 鈥渆mbarrassment鈥� of a president throwing in his support for a one-party state dictator like Qaddafi.
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But by nightfall, Mr. Zuma鈥檚 office had of the details of the report, saying 鈥淪outh Africa has openly condemned the loss of life and attacks on civilians and reported violations of human rights in Libya,鈥� and adding, 鈥淭he Presidency will not be drawn into rumors and distortions of the conversation with the Leader of Libya, Col. Muammar Gadaffi, who had called to explain his side of the story.鈥�
Whether Mr. Zuma actually expressed support for Qaddafi or not, the most striking quality about South Africa鈥檚 position toward the conflict in Libya 鈥� and Libya鈥檚 liberal use of military force against political opponents, armed or otherwise 鈥� is its relative silence. While the United Nations and the European Union have imposed heavy sanctions on Libya and are considering imposing a no-fly zone to prohibit the use of Libyan military aircraft against rebel positions, South Africa and much of the AU have stopped far short of that, issuing a statement decrying the use of excessive force, but declining to impose sanctions against the Libyan regime for actually using it.
South Africa 鈥渟upports the positions taken by the African Union,鈥� as the official statement from Zuma鈥檚 office says. The Zuma government has sparked a quite vigorous debate among South Africans about just what South Africa鈥檚 position should be toward the rights of citizens to rebel against a regime they consider to be oppressive. Seventeen years after South Africa鈥檚 black majority achieved its own liberation from an apartheid regime, the South African government of Nelson Mandela鈥檚 African National Congress seems to have thrown its weight behind regimes that have ruled, often without legal or credible opposition, for 30 years or more.
Speaking to Bloomberg news agency about South Africa鈥檚 鈥渘eutral鈥� stand toward the apparent power grab by former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo 鈥� who lost the Nov. 28 presidential election, but has yet to concede defeat 鈥� former South African ambassador and now political analyst Tom Wheeler said, 鈥淪outh Africa has it acquired in 1994 with its peaceful transition. It鈥檚 not helping democracy.鈥�
South Africa has also taken a fair amount of criticism for its 鈥渜uiet鈥� diplomacy in mediating the ongoing political crisis in Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe also has used the full force of his extensive intelligence and security apparatus against political opponents, charging those who seek to unseat him with 鈥渢reason.鈥� By contrast, Botswana鈥檚 President Ian Khamma has been much more vocally critical of Mr. Mugabe and his often violent methods, including the forced removal of hundreds of white commercial farmers through 鈥渓and invasions.鈥�
Do you think South Africa should take a harder line on Qaddafi? Comment below.
