126. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter 1
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Namibia.]
5. Formation of National Assembly in Namibia: The South African Administrator in Namibia today proclaimed the transformation of the Namibian “Constituent Assembly,” created as a result of the unilateral December 1978 elections, into a National Assembly with the power to legislate anything except Namibian independence. The South Africans are reportedly saying that this closes no doors to an internationally acceptable settlement; however, the formation of an interim government is likely to be seen, particularly in Africa, as another step towards a unilateral declaration of independence.
The South African action will be strongly condemned by the UN General Assembly session on Namibia which will open May 23; demands for Security Council action and sanctions seem a certainty.2
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Namibia.]
- Source: Carter Library, Plains File, Subject File, Box 39, State Department Evening Reports, 5/79. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum.↩
- For a report of General Assembly action pertaining to Namibia, including a call for Chapter VII sanctions against South Africa, May 23–31, see Yearbook of the United Nations, 1979, pp. 1075–1080.↩