1.
CU United Nations special representative for Namibia (South-West Africa) Martti Ahtisaari speaking at Press Conference (four shots)
2.00


AHTISAARI: 'The key issues raised at my meetings with political parties covered mainly the question of registration of voters; the date of elections and independence, as well as the overall timetable for the settlement of the Namibian situation. I also discussed the technical aspects of these problems with Mr. Justice Steyn at our last meeting on Tuesday morning prior to my departure. Our discussions took into account the views of the various parties on those issues in relation to the overall timetable for implementation of the Security Council resolution. These important issues will be given all the attention they deserve in my report, which I have to submit to the Secretary General no later than the end of August. But it is important to realise that the so-called transitional period has not yet started. It will only start after the report of the Secretary-General has been discussed by the Security Council, and some decision reached on his recommendations. I think I emphasised, while we stayed n Namibia, that I was actually not there to negotiate. I was on a fact-finding mission. So we took note of the different views, which I think have also been reflected in the press reporting during our stay there. But I also stated that I think it is important that adequate time is reserved for the whole exercise, because I don't think that anything can be achieved if there is an attempt to steamroll the whole exercise. One has I think rather carefully to look at the proposal and see what necessary steps are required before one can start talking about the new atmosphere, in the sense that everybody has had a chance to participate in the political process.'




Initials MC/2015


TELERECORDING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The immediate future of Namibia (South West Africa). The country's special representative to the United Nations, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, has forecast it will be some time before a UN military and administrative group can start serving as a transitional government before independence. Mr. Ahtisaari was speaking at the United Nations after having returned from a two-weeks fact-finding tour in Namibia. He said the UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim will use his report on this trip when drawing up a plan on Namibian independence that will go before the Security Council.