65. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Namibia.]
2. The UN and Namibia: The Namibia Contact Group in New York has begun a detailed study of what might constitute a UN role in Namibia. The Group is looking at a variety of options, ranging from monitoring the fairness of the political process, to police activities, civil operations, and peacekeeping (replacing South African troops), or all three.
Formulas for a UN role will have to come from the Contact Group. It is clear, from what Kurt Waldheim told Andy Young in Geneva, that he will not move out in front with his own ideas in the absence of a green light from the Africans—and African suspicions of South Africa’s motives have still not been overcome by what the Contact Group has achieved thus far.2
Next week, we will be working with the Contact Group to develop a negotiating position (including the nature of a UN role) and strategy for talks in New York with SWAPO. We expect SWAPO will be ready to meet on July 18 or soon thereafter. One objective in those talks will be to convince SWAPO to give Waldheim a green light.
We will be contacting Nyerere and the Nigerians for support in assuring that SWAPO does come to New York. We also will be looking for ways to convince Waldheim to begin contingency planning on a UN role.
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Namibia.]
- Source: Carter Library, Plains File, Subject File, Box 37, State Department Evening Reports, 7/77. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum and wrote at the top of the first page: “Cy.”↩
- Carter wrote in the left-hand margin next to this paragraph: “Waldheim should move. S Africa has done well so far.”↩