M Lekota: Opening of SA Defence Attache conference

25 June 2007

Evaluating the impact of Defence foreign relations

Secretary for Defence
Chief of the South African National Defence Force
Chiefs of Divisions and Arms of Service
Generals and Flag Officers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Programme Director,

Welcome all to this Conference and particularly to the Attaches who will be
assuming positions for the first time. To those who are already posted I want
to say to you also "Welcome Home." I know that you always look forward to this
occasion because it gives you an opportunity of meeting and exchanging views
with your colleagues about their work and approach in other countries. This
exchange of views is very important and can lead to cross-pollination of ideas
and approaches. It gives you opportunities to visit with families and friends
but I am not venturing into that area.

Today we made an announcement of the appointment of 13 generals within the
South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Of these appointments eight are
women. This marks an important milestone in the history of the Department of
Defence (DOD) and our country as a whole.

We know that stereotypes exist in militaries regarding the role of women in
military. Our nation's philosophy is that women soldiers are equal to their
counterparts in military and other fields of life. To discriminate against them
is as criminal as it was to discriminate against black sections of our
populations under apartheid. That is the policy of the Government and that is
the position of the DOD. In order to weed out these stereotypes against women,
we have a unit within the DOD that deals with creating equal opportunities for
women, people with disabilities, and so on.

I have already spoken to some of you earlier on when you attended the
Attache Course. For others we may have met at the time when you were appointed
or during my visits to the countries of your posting. Be that as it may,
welcome to the Conference.

Our country is involved in a number of activities and it is your role to
understand those activities � be it political, cultural, trade, economics, etc.
� and make the necessary interconnections between and among all these
activities.

If one examines the Government's Programme of Action one will see the issues
strengthening the African Continent through the Southern African Development
Community (SADC), through the African Union (AU) and through the United Nations
(UN), are our top priorities.

Some of the activities I am talking about and which you must take cognisance
of in your day-today work are:

* Our role as a member of the United Nations Security Council, What impact
does it have on your work, Do you know why South Africa (SA) voted in a
particular manner on a particular issue?
* The roles of SA in Cote d' Ivoire; the Democratic Republic of Congo and
Burundi; Ethiopia and Eritrea; Central African Republic and Chad.
* The role and disposition of SA towards Zimbabwe.
* The implementation of the Foreign Military Assistance Act.
* Our role in the elections in the Comoros.
* Our role in assisting to resolve the conflict between the Lord Resistance
Army and the government in Uganda.
* Our role in ammunition depot blast in Mozambique.
* Our role in the recent elections in Lesotho.
* Our prospects of holding the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
* Our progress towards qualifying for the 2008 Confederation of African Cup's
Africa Cup of Nations Football Tournament.
* The ruling party, African National Congress policy Conference.
* Civil Unions Marriage Act and its implications, etc.

Indeed it is important for all of us to have a similar approach to same and
common issues because, in the first instance, we are all from one country and
one Department. Failure to communicate consistent messages may lead us to
giving contradictory messages to our counterparts in the country where we
operate.

So, this conference also serves as a way of helping all of us to build a
common understanding and approach among all of what the role of Defence Attache
or Defence Advisor is.

One expects that by the time you leave here you will have made all the
necessary contacts for future reference and information sharing with your
peers.

You will be making a mistake if you believe that the Conference or the
Minister will provide you with all the answers you require. In fact the
Department and the Ministry are looking towards you, our experts in foreign
relations, to provide the necessary direction and impetus to our work. Some of
the answers are within yourselves � you just have to find them

The theme of the conference is "Evaluating the Impact of Defence Foreign
Relations."

As part of your stay here during the Conference you will have to evaluate
your work against our expectations and what the Department and the Ministry
expects of you. I will be happy and inspired if we get suggestions and
proposals from you on how to strengthen your performance as you can deliver
exciting results for our country.

It is important to understand the theme because it speaks of the impact of
Defence Foreign Relations not of the attaches per se. As you all know Defence
Foreign Relations is responsible for liaison with foreign military
establishments, co-ordination of visits, good relationship and customer care
building, and so on. The strength or weakness of the Defence Foreign Relations
depends on the staff we deploy in these structures � both at home and
abroad.

South Africa was a pariah among nations of the world and did not have any
meaningful representation abroad. Since 1994 we have taken a conscious decision
that Africa is our priority and we will be represented in these countries as
best we could.

We have made great strides since then and as we know the impact that our
country has in the Region of the SADC and its structures such as the
Inter-State and Defence and Security Committee, the AU Peace and Security
Council, the UN and so on is unparalleled by any other.

We must be proud that overall we have performed very well. I wish to say to
the Chief of Defence Foreign Relations, and his Staff we congratulates you for
the work well done. However a lot can still be achieved.

I remember this particular incident while we were in Bahrain en route to
Saudi Arabia when we were refused to board an aircraft because we did not have
visas. This was very embarrassing. How do you allow your citizens to be treated
so badly because of some minor aspect that could have been sorted with a phone
call to the relevant embassy?

Worse still we find that when our delegations arrives in certain foreign
countries there are no hotel bookings. Is this the treatment that you will
expect if you were in a Minister's position � any Minister let alone me! Do you
have a sense of urgency and do we pay attention to necessary details?

It is important that you understand Civil Military Relations and the
relationship between the Minister and Secretary for Defence on the one hand and
the Chief of the SANDF on the other hand. More often than not the civilian
staff is treated as second class personnel and the military personnel are well
looked after on these trips. If you do not understand that; or if you do not
respect what is provided for in our National Constitution, how do you think
foreign people will know and respect the protocols of your country? These are
some of the instances that one has experienced in the past.

Our work as the DOD is to support the political and diplomatic initiatives
of Government led by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The DFA's role is
to cultivate good international relations between our country and also to open
doors for trade, cultural, links, and so on. The DFA is the lead department and
the DOD acts as the main supportive structure and our function is largely
defined by what happens at that level.

Given this relationship and not being a standalone Defence Attaches are
located in Embassies. Their role, therefore, is to represent the DOD, and
secondly, to support the Ambassadors. Attaches are expected to maintain good
relations and co-operate with the Ambassadors, because after all, both the
Attach� and the Ambassador represent one country.

In addition, to have a deep understanding of issues related to defence and
security, it is important for the Attaches to have a solid understanding of SA,
its history, politics, policies (foreign and domestic) and so on.

The greatest crime in diplomacy is to be returned home having disgraced your
country and yourself. These things do happen and you may have read about
diplomats being expelled for conducting activities outside of their functions.
In some instances such activities have been found to be unlawful in the
countries of origin of those diplomats.

The job of anyone working in foreign affairs is to cultivate international
relations between the country where they are based and SA. From these relations
stem a multitude of gains for SA, which may include trade links, economic and
scientific partnerships and so on. In the same way, the task of any person
deployed by the SANDF to a foreign country as a Defence Attach� is to cultivate
good relations. From those good relations between defence forces stems peace
and stability which may be expressed in a memorandum of understanding, exchange
training and joint exercises. So, when we send you to be a Military Attache, we
are saying loud and clear in the first instance:

* Go and represent your country in a foreign country and do your best to
secure and promote its interests and its people.
* Go enhance the image of our nation.
* Sell the good image of the DOD and the SANDF among your peers.
* Deal with negative perceptions about the country and its people.
* Learn and bring back the positive aspects you see in other countries.
* Look for opportunities for learning and others for your fellow South
Africans.
* Ensure the development and a harmonious relationship between the host country
and SA.
* Give your best for your country and your people and represent them to the
best of your ability.
* Keep the Headquarters informed and abreast of development in those
countries.
* Represent your country with honour.

We are not saying the following:

* Go and sell the country's secrets to other people for the sake of a few
rands.
* Your country has placed faith and confidence in you to do what is
right.
* Do not engage in illegal activities that lead to you disgracing the
Department and yourself.

I have been informed that the Attache course will in future be evaluated and
tightened up. I just want to touch on those attributes that I think you need
for this job. If you do not have them you must ask yourself whether you are the
right person for the job, or whether you are in the wrong job.

Whether you are deployed abroad or whether you are deployed internally in SA
within Defence Foreign Relations the following attributes are important:

* Impeccable conduct and Etiquette: As an Ambassador of our people, your
country, your government, your Department, and the SANDF you have to conduct
yourself in manner that is befitting to the position. You must remember that
the organisation has entrusted you with the responsibility of being its
interface with stakeholders, clientele, and so on. You are not there because
you are So-and-So but because it has been trusted that you can conduct yourself
appropriately when dealing with foreigners and you negotiate on behalf of our
country. If you think this gives you an opportunity to pursue your agenda you
should not have accepted the appointment.

* Good communication (especially listening skills: Your work will entail a
lot of listening and dissemination of information. If you can't listen to other
people and you want to show off when you meet foreigners, how, what and why
would you communicate? We except you to be able to analyse understand the
country you will be deployed in and to communicate to Headquarters what needs
to be communicated so that when we visit those countries we are not caught off
guard.

* Negotiation skills: During the course of your posting you will be expected
to negotiate issues relating to your principals' visits, the host countries;
principals' visits, learning, information-sharing, and technology transfer
opportunities, and so on. Do you have what it takes to negotiate with your
counterparts on an equal basis without being intimidated?

* Excellent interpersonal skills: You need to be able to relate to people as
military representatives and as people. You are not going to be aloof when you
are deployed, and you have to make your daily business to know people so that
they can open their hearts and minds to you and to assist you, in getting what
you want. In some of the countries it is the relationship between people that
unlocks the doors.

* Networking: The only way of finding your way in a foreign country is to
get acquainted with local people and to understand the culture, politics,
social setting, and so on.

* "Integrity, Honesty, Reliability" These attributes are about how people
judge you based on their knowledge of who you are. Can one believe you when you
say something; when you promise to do certain things; and so on? If you
represent your country you must remember again and again that you are
representing yourselves but your people, your country and your government.

* Reliability and Dependability: The Department relies and depends on
Attaches to render its work easy. The information you will be giving us through
your briefings and reports has to be accurate and should facilitate easier
planning for the work of the Department in the various capacities and
structures we work, for example, the Southern African Development Community;
United Nations Department of Peacekeeping; the Defence Committees, the Joint
Permanent Commissions, and so on.

* Commitment and Loyalty. There is nothing that beats commitment and loyalty
to one's country and one's job. If you are looking at only making money out of
this posting � as some of you think it is � then you being disloyal and not
being committed to the advancement of your country. Commitment and loyalty to
your country are two things that will carry you through when your spirits; when
you receive news of the death of a family member and so on. If you do not have
these you should not be in these positions, you are in wrong job. Serving your
country with commitment and loyalty is what we are asking you to do.

I wish the Conference every success and hope that when you all leave here,
you will have learnt some new and that you will leave South Africa to resume
your duties being a wiser being.

As I will not being seeing most of you, I wish you a safe journey to your
different destinations.

Thank you

Issued by: Ministry of Defence
25 June 2007