MADAGASCAR

General Comments - Government Responses

CERD A/9618 (1974)

Annex V

Texts of comments of States Parties to general recommendation IV, adopted by the Committee at its eighth session, received up to the end of the tenth session in accordance with article 9, paragraph 2, of the Convention a/

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MADAGASCAR

The comments of the Government of Madagascar on general recommendation IV were included by the Government in its third periodic report, submitted under article 9 of the Convention, which was received on 14 December 1973.

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a/ For the text of general recommendation IV, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/9018), chap. X, sect. B, decision 1 (VIII).

CERD A/9018 (1973)

Annex IV

Texts of comments of States parties to general recommendation III, adopted by the Committee at its sixth session, received up to the end of the eighth session, in accordance with article 9, paragraph 2, of the Convention a/

Madagascar b/

[Original: French]

4 January 1973

The Government of the Malagasy Republic, resulting from the popular movement of May 1972, having examined the "policy of dialogue" with South Africa begun by the previous Government, had concluded that such a policy was in accordance neither with the paramount interests of the nation nor with the spirit of solidarity which must prevail in relations between Malagasy people and their brothers in Africa, victims of colonialism and racial discrimination. Indeed, that policy, which had poisoned the internal political climate by creating discord among the people of Madagascar, had not achieved- far from it- the objectives for which it was allegedly justified, namely, the mitigation of the system of apartheid.

Consequently, the Malagasy Government chose to renounce a number of economic projects, begun in partnership with South Africa, rather than compromise national dignity and independence.

It thus demonstrated the sincerity of tis will to unite henceforth its efforts with those of the uncompromising adversaries of racial segregation.

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a/ See chap. VI, paras. 317 to 322 above; for the text of general recommendation III see decision 1 (VI), chap. IX, sect. B, of the report of the Committee to the twenty-seventh session of the General Assembly, Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/8718).

b/ At the request of the Government of Madagascar, its comments to the Committee's general recommendation III were reproduced as a supplement to its second periodic report submitted under article 9 of the Convention.