South Africa/USA: The Wikileaks revelation

By on August 10, 2010
Through the Wikileaks website revelation, a survey of South African journalists revealed that South Africa refusal to support the U.S. war in Afghanistan has failed to lead to a diplomatic conflict between the two countries.

According to the Argus newspaper, based in Cape Town, a statement dated on May the 3th 2007, sent by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa provides details of a proposed approach to the Canadian government by the United States to force South Africa to take authoritarian measures against the collect of funds in the country for the Taliban in Afghanistan. At the time, the United States proposed a joint approach – a severe reprimand – to force South Africa to comply.

However, the Canadians had declared that they would be happy to consider lending a hand to the American initiative, but they would like more information, adding that they would decide that once in possession of details of how the South African government deals with the Taliban.

According to Argus, sources within the South African government had noted that there were diplomatic tensions about the “war on terror”, because South Africa has a significant minority of Muslims, and that the country was not prepared to adopt the type of position, as the United States did, in combating terrorism.

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