Alleged SA arms supply: US Embassy tight-lipped on Russian debacle
THE US Embassy has remained tightlipped following its Russian counterpart's remarks that US Ambassador Reuben Brigety attempted to “sway” South Africa's foreign policy with his controversial claim that it provided weapons to Russia last year.
Bridgety told the media in Pretoria last week that weapons were loaded onto the Russian ship, Lady R, at the Simon's Town Naval Base in Cape Town. No evidence to support this claim was provided and Brigety has apparently apologised after having been summoned by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor.
In a statement this week, Russia's ambassador Ilya Rogachev said: “Appointing guilty parties at own discretion and resorting to ‘megaphone diplomacy' have become typical characteristics of US foreign policy.
“In this context, the words of the US' official cannot be perceived otherwise as an attempt to sway the independent sovereign state's foreign policy. This comes as no surprise, as the US seems to have lost its ability to interact with partners on an equal basis long ago. One's friendship with the US is only possible under US rules.
“If Ambassador Brigety takes this matter seriously, why doesn't he explain why Russia would need SA-produced arms and ammunition matching neither the types nor the calibres of the systems currently in service with Russia's armed forces and how such a minuscule amount of ‘arms and ammunition' that was allegedly ‘uploaded onto the vessel' would influence the situation on the battlefield anyway?” they said.
The US Embassy declined to comment yesterday.
Defence Minister Thandi Modise said no arms were shipped to Russia, she also criticised the narrative that South Africa had chosen sides in the Russia-Ukraine war.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula met with Bridgety yesterday.
“The Ambassador reiterated his apology as conveyed by Comrade Naledi Pandor, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in the Republic.
“The meeting discussed the importance of the relationship between the people of South Africa and the people of the United States of America. Whilst there may be points of divergence on certain points we remain committed to diplomatic engagements to resolve challenges on our shared interests.”
Stellenbosch University Emeritus Professor Professor Francois Vrey said: “In politics and diplomacy it is the rule that you respond to such accusations and here both countries implicated are doing that.
“By not responding governments open room for the accusations to ‘grow feet' as we saw after the lapse in responding when first accused after the Lady R visit. So this response must be seen as a second round to the first denials in parliament and then of course the 'investigation by a judge' as a temporal space to deal with the matter if politicians feel they are not on top of the reality. One must also consider that being neutral immediately draws attention from players to see if your policy actions align with the declaratory side of being neutral.”