Title: White Paper on South African Participation in International Peace Missions - Conclusion
8. CONCLUSION
This policy document has sought to explain the nature and scope of contemporary peace missions and to define the parameters for South African participation in such missions. South Africa is obliged to support international efforts at conflict management and resolution and it is clearly in the national interest to do so. South Africa will therefore participate in such missions where there is a clear need for our national contribution and where there is a legitimate and realistic international mandate for executing the mission.
South Africa has limited but valuable resources to offer the international community for the conduct of peace missions. These include civilians with a diverse range of skills and experience appropriate to peace processes, professional and experienced police officers and well-trained and disciplined military elements. If these resources are to be utilised by the international community in the cause of peace, their approximate nature and size must be defined through an appropriate readiness system for each component.
On the other hand, a number of key principles must be met before these potential resources are deployed in support of a particular peace mission. Some of the responsibility for adhering to these principles lies at the level of the international community - such as the formulation of a clear and realistic mandate. On the other hand, it is a national responsibility to support and budget for such participation.
While government should do everything in its power to facilitate voluntary international service by individual South Africans, the deployment of a national military contingent in support of an international peace mission will always be subject to more rigorous procedures. While such procedures have been suggested in this document, they will have to be refined with growing experience of deploying on international service. Such experience can only be gained by converting potential resources into actual capabilities. It is hoped that this White Paper will initiate such a process.