New York, USA - South African Ambassador to the United States Roelf Meyer has called for dialogue between South Africa and the United States (US) to restore the bilateral relationship, saying the two countries must engage with each other as partners.
Speaking to SAnews ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York on Sunday, Meyer said the multilateral gathering could provide an opportunity to reinforce the importance of dialogue, not only in the relationship between South Africa and the US, but also in addressing conflicts elsewhere in the world.
“Well, we all know that problems can be solved if people talk to each other. It often starts with talks about talks, and then there's a phase of dialog and then negotiations.
“And I would hope that the messages that will combine our intention, our aspiration in that regard, will also come out from UNGA, not only to the question of the relationship between South Africa and the United States, but also others where there are conflicts,” Meyer told SANews.
Meyer said the bilateral relationship between South Africa and the US, which he described as being “at the foundation of this challenge” needed to be restored through dialogue.
“But very specifically, in the case of the United States and South Africa, the bilateral relationship, which is at the foundation of this challenge that we have must be restored, and it can only be done through dialogue,” he said.
He emphasised that meaningful dialogue required both sides to recognise each other as partners rather than seeking to impose their positions on one another.
“And in the case of dialogue, it has to be in such a way that parties accept each other as equal partners to that dialogue and sit down and talk it through and look each other in the eye and say we can do it. One can't prescribe over the other, because then it will definitely not lead to a resolution of the problem,” he said.
Strengthening communication
Meyer also highlighted the changing nature of communication and the challenges this presents for governments seeking to communicate their positions to international audiences.
“If I look back at my own experience years ago, there was a very easy line of communication through formal channels. Now there is no regulated channel. Everyone speaks for him or herself, and that of course brings a lot of challenges,” he said.
He said this made it more difficult for national leadership to ensure messages were communicated reliably, requiring governments to continually assess and strengthen their communication capabilities.
“I'm asking myself when I look at my task here in Washington, on behalf of South Africa, do we communicate correctly and in the necessary way to get our message across?”
Meyer said South Africa also needed to address what he described as “misunderstanding and misrepresentation” about the country’s constitutional framework and democracy.
“We know there's a lot of misunderstanding and misrepresentation about the South African case, when it comes to our constitutional framework and how we apply it, and that South Africa is a constitutional democracy. There's a lot of misrepresentation about that, as if there is government-initiated violence taking place, so-called genocide and things like that.
“We all know it's not true, but that is the narrative that is being broadcast by some, and we have to address that and find ways to bring the real story across,” he told SANews.
He said the challenge extended beyond South Africa’s international reputation, pointing to narratives around migration on the African continent.
“And that applies to other countries as well. But it also applies on our continent again, because there is also misrepresentation about the whole subject of migration on the African continent, and sometimes we are being blamed for things that we haven't done,” he said.
Meyer’s comments come as world leaders and senior officials gather in New York for the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81), with South Africa expected to use the high-level week to advance its diplomatic priorities and engage international partners. – SAnews.gov.za
