DE KLERK: Stability is stability. Stability is a situation where people can feel safe, where people who want to go to work can do so, where people can live a normal life without intimidation, without threat. Stability is a situation where you do not have arson in a country because of political debate and differences. Stability is a situation where you do not have deaths as a result of political strife. That is the sort of stability we are striving for. Obviously, in any country, at all times, you have crimes and we go to great lengths to draw the necessary distinctions between ordinary and politically related instability. QUESTION: Mr. President, when you talk about a fair and just preliminary to negotiations, will you go beyond the state of emergency, and discuss as well the negotiation process, the establishment of full citizenship rights for the Black people of South Africa? DE KLERK: Thank you for that question. We have just won an election stating that as our goal. That is the mandate that my party asked of the electorate and that is the mandate that we received. There is a misconception that we do not want to give full citizenship rights to all South Africans, also to black South Africans. As a matter of fact, we have already received such a mandate from the white electorate in an election in 1989. It is no longer a question whether all South Africans must get full citizenship rights. The question is how to structure it, how also to accommodate the diversity in a non-discriminatory manner, of our total population. The fact that we have minorities, but nonetheless that clear commitment is the system must give full class-A citizenships to all South Africans, irrespective of race or color. DE KLERK: Once again, I do not want to speak on his behalf. QUESTION: Mr. President, while in custody, Mr. Mandela indicated that he would act as an intermediary or facilitator between the government and the ANC. Do you expect to continue to deal with him now on that basis? DE KLERK: I follow an open-door policy and should come forward and should he be prepared to play the role of facilitator, to interest himself in promoting a climate for negotiation, should he interest himself in promoting talks, even talks about talks, yes, that open door is also open to him. QUESTION: President De Klerk, I was wondering whether the presence of the Rev. Jackson here in South Africa had anything to do with the release of Mandela? (Laughter). DE KLERK: As far as the release of Mr. Mandela is concerned, his presence is totally irrelevant. QUESTION: President, can I ask you: did Mr. Mandela give you any assurance that he would call for peace in this country? DE KLERK: I did not ask him. QUESTION: President, from your last reply, when you said that he is prepared to act as a facilitator, does that mean he has not given you his agreement to enter negotiation? DE KLERK: His willingness to act as a facilitator has been published widely and over a fairly long period now. I did not discuss it with him as such again last night. QUESTION: Mr. De Klerk, could you possibly describe Mr. Mandela's reaction when you told him he would be released tomorrrow? DE KLERK: I do not think that I would like to try to do that QUESTION: Returning to the question of the lifting of the state of emergency, the stability required, does this imply that you will wait until there is complete peace in the Natal province, and do you think that that realistically will happen within the few weeks time that some of your ministers have given as a time span for that lifting? DE KLERK: There is an element of uncertainty, obviously, with regard to everything which lies in the future. None of us can exactly say what will happen tomorrow and the day after. It is really our hope that with the steps which we have taken, that it will make a contribution and that will bring us soon to the situation where it can be considered. We review this situation almost on an ongoing basis, almost on a day-to-day basis, and we are as anxious as anybody else to have the state of emergency lifted as soon as possible. QUESTION: You said that the lifting of the state of emergency would be a matter for negotiations. With whom do you propose to negotiate? Mr. Mandela, the ANC, who? DE KLERK: No, I did not say that is matter for negotiation. I said that the question of political prisoners is a matter for negotiation. The state of emergency was imposed by the government because of a state of instability throughout our country. It will be a government decision to lift it, and the test will be whether the stability has been restored sufficiently so that we can do so. QUESTION: But you did say that you have discussed it with Mr. Mandela, didn't you? DE KLERK: Yes, obviously, because it is a matter which is being raised from many quarters as also being a stumbling block, and in that sense it was discussed. QUESTION: Mr. President, may I ask you: have you already or are you about to inform world leaders, and if so, whom? DE KLERK: I have informed our minister of foreign affairs a few hours ago and in all probability he has undertaken an exercise so that they will not just read it in the press. It is general custom, which we adhere to, and that I am sure he has done. I did not speak to anybody. QUESTION: Are you, sir, concerned at all for the safety of Nelson Mandela, and if so, how? DE KLERK: Yes, in my opening address, or rather, in another statement I indicated that, yes, I think there is reason for concern about his safety. There are all sorts of people who might threaten his life. I think radicals from the very far left might be tempted to do so, and I think there is also a risk that it might come from radicalists from the right. Many publicc figures are being threatened throughout the world almost in all countries, and with him having such a high profile, I think, yes, there is a real risk, and one must take every precaution to ensure that noghing happens to him. But when he leaves prison, then he will be moving to his own circle of friends, and in all probability, as in the case of Mr. Sisulu and the other prisoners which we released, there was no request to the state to give any assistance with regard to their security. QUESTION: Mr. President, I wonder if I may ask you to define the mandate? How do you define full constitutional rights? Is that one man, one vote? DE KLERK: Can we save that for the press conference of next week? That is the type of thing I would likee to address then. Thank you very much.
