Mbeki still can't recall visit

2008-08-07 21:35

Michael Hamlyn

Cape Town - President Thabo Mbeki has said again that he does not remember meeting the bosses of Thomson CSF, the French arms company, despite the fact that his ambassador to France, Barbara Masekela said he did.

Giving a written reply, which was circulated on Thursday, to a parliamentary question from Sandra Botha, the parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance, the president said his office has now thoroughly investigated the matter and ascertained from Masekela and Essop Pahad, the Minister in the Presidency, that indeed such a meeting was requested.

"Neither the Minister's office nor ambassador Masekela nor the French embassy - nor indeed any available diary notes - has any information about the nature of such a meeting. Ambassador Masekela did not attend such a meeting," Mbeki said.

"One can only conclude that (if it did take place) it was a courtesy meeting of the kind that occurs frequently and routinely during the course of foreign visits by members of the government without significant substance."

He continued: "It is axiomatically obvious that the President would have vivid knowledge of a meeting if it were of such great importance, as alleged by the opposition. Whether this will satisfy the Leader of the Opposition or not is up to her; but we cannot embellish the truth with speculation and conjecture simply to satisfy the opposition."

The president, giving another written reply to Eddie Trent of the DA, said that he has no intention of appointing a judicial inquiry into the arms deal.

Trent wanted to know whether the investigation in Germany would cause him to do so.

He said that the German investigation has been dropped and he added that there has already been a thorough investigation by the joint investigation team.

"Whilst many claims have been made challenging its findings, none has been such as to undermine the integrity of the investigation or the substance of its findings concerning the government's role in this matter," he said.

"Allegations of misconduct by individuals have been followed up within the framework of the criminal justice system, and that will continue to be the course to follow should any further investigation provide new evidence.

"Given that there has already been a thorough investigation of the matter in South Africa; and given that the full resources of our criminal justice system are available to deal with any evidence that any individual has broken the law, government is of the view that there is no need for a judicial inquiry."

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