By Andre Koopman and Jeremy Michaels
South Africa is not selling arms in any form to Israel and is not supplying it with any military services, including spare parts or technical transfers, Education Minister Kader Asmal said on Monday.
In an exclusive interview, Asmal, who is also chairman of the cabinet's National Conventional Arms Control Committee, stated categorically that South Africa had since 2000 ceased any kind of military dealings with Israel. This had been a unilateral decision.
He was responding to concerns which had been raised by local non-governmental groups and international human rights agencies about South Africa's weapon dealings with Israel, particularly since the second intifada and killing of civilians.
Asmal also revealed that South Africa had ceased weapon sales to Colombia two weeks ago.
Asmal defended South African weapon sales to some nations viewed almost universally by international human rights advocacy groups as repressive, saying that the country followed a stringent set of criteria before selling weapons.
South Africa has come under sustained flack for selling weapons to countries like Colombia and Algeria. Asmal defended the government's decision to sell weapons to India and Pakistan and noted that arms sales to Pakistan had ceased since the military takeover by General Pervez Musharraf.
Asked why South Africa would sell weapons to two nations which have a history of animosity and low intensity border war, Asmal, in a detailed answer, said India was South Africa's strategic partner.
In any case, weapon sales were considered on a case-by-case basis, he added.
"South Africa has been selling weapons in all categories, including sensitive major significant equipment (SMSE) - explosives, large calibre arms, attack helicopters and fighter aircraft, and sensitive significant equipment, including assault rifles and ammunition, general service equipment which would include plant as well as "services of whatever nature or form... in relation to armaments".
In 2000, SA sold more than R28-million worth of SMSE equipment to Colombia and almost R45-million in 2001.
According to Amnesty International, Colombia's worsening internal armed conflict, "affects virtually every part of the country and has taken the lives of more than 60 000 people since 1985 - currently around 20 people every day".