Annotations for Countries: South Africa

Focusing next on one country where Secretary of State Rogers was welcome, namely Brazil, Opinião from Rio de Janeiro, and Marcha, the Uruguayan paper comment on the international implications of President Medici's recent visit to Portugal. 

Opinião reports that on his recent trip to Portugal, Brazil's President Medici was asked by Portuguese authorities for support of Portugal's colonial policy in Africa. Portugal, which is increasingly isolated within the United Nations because of this policy, is seeking diplomatic support and perhaps military aid, for its policy of maintaining colonies in Africa, despite world opinion and strong movements for national liberation in these colonies. 

The Portuguese press, pointed up a dilemma in Brazilian foreign policy. For over a decade, Brazil has been interested in extending its economic and diplomatic influence in Africa. Brazil's official position is that it will try to penetrate Africa on all fronts. However, as Marcha points out, there are only two doors to Africa, through the Portuguese colonies or by way of the independent nations of Black Africa. 

If the Brazilians support the Portuguese, they will have access to the markets of Angola and Mozambique and will win favor with the white supremacist government of South Africa. Yet if Brazil chooses to support Portugal, it will be siding with the colonial powers and will anger and alienate black independent African nations. As Senegal's representative to the United Nations expressed it, "Brazil must choose between justice and injustice, between supporting an Africa free of colonialism and supporting Portugal." 

Marcha concludes that the Brazilians will most probably support Portugal, because it wants to become a great power and sees more immediate advantage for itself in close ties with South Africa. Opinião is not so sure of this and sees Brazil's position as still neutral. However, Opinião concludes that Brazil will have to make a decision soon. This from Opinião of Rio de Janeiro and Marcha of Montevideo. 

Excelsior, one of Mexico City's leading dailies, reports that the United Nations General Assembly, by a huge majority December 14th, approved a committee report declaring Puerto Rico was in fact a colony of the United States, not an independent country. The vote was 104 to five, with 19 abstentions. The opposing votes were cast by the United States, Britain, France, Portugal, and South Africa. The vote showed that the great majority of the world's countries were not persuaded by US propaganda that Puerto Rico is a free-associated state, an independent country whose people voluntarily choose to live under US hegemony. 

Ricardo Alarcón, Cuban ambassador to the United Nations, played a leading role in support of the resolution during the more than three months of diplomatic struggle within the world body prior to the final vote. Juan Marie Bras, head of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, and Rubén Berrios of the Puerto Rican Independence Party spoke to the United Nations Committee on decolonization in late August. The US and its few allies on this question bitterly opposed the campaign at every step. At the last minute, the US succeeded in delaying the general assemblies vote by a few days. But the defeat, when it came, was overwhelming. The vote marks an epic in the struggle by Puerto Rican independence forces for international recognition. 

It signifies that in the view of the world body, Puerto Rico is similar to Angola, Mozambique, and other territories directly ruled and occupied by a foreign power. This according to United Nation principles means the people of the island nation have the same legitimate right to rise up against their foreign rulers, as do the people in Portuguese-occupied Africa and other colonial territories. During the debate, speakers exposed to the whole range of United States domination and exploitation of the island, including manipulation and financing of political parties and governments, military occupation of huge bases, repression of patriots, brutal treatment of prisoners, and wholesale economic pillage by United States Corporation. This story from Excelsior of Mexico City. 

According to the British News weekly, Latin America, Brazil's growing interest in black Africa was clearly revealed by the visits earlier this year to that continent by the Brazilian foreign minister. In the view of most observers, this sudden interest had been forced upon Brazil by the urgent need for more markets for Brazil's manufactured products and a reasonably reliable and cheap source of raw materials for its industries. 

On the face of it, the more advanced countries of black Africa, such as Nigeria, offered ideal prospects, but these are marred by Brazil's extremely close ties with Portugal and its African territories of Angola, Mozambique and Guinea, and by a rapidly growing commercial relationship between Brazil and South Africa. 

In all its negotiations with Africa, Brazil has maintained an equally distant position between the interests of black Africa and of the colonial powers of Portugal and South Africa. The reason is not far to seek. Brazil's relationship with Portugal is long and very close, and the large Portuguese element in the Brazilian population is an ever present pressure group. More important, Portugal provides a gateway to Europe for Brazilian products by the back door and through its African colonies, a gateway to Africa. 

Although Brazil's relations with South Africa are a very recent origin, they have been strengthened fast. Trade between the two countries has passed the $90 million mark, which is more than Brazil's trade with all of the countries of black Africa combined. Direct air services between the two countries have recently been initiated and a firm invitation for South Africa to invest in Brazil was extended by Brazil's foreign minister at this year's session of the United Nations General Assembly. That report on British interests and black Africa from the British News Weekly, Latin America.