SOUTH Africa has come under increasing pressure in the past two days to cancel, or at least suspend, its multi million rand agreement to sell arms to the Rwandan government.
A statement yesterday by Dr Kader Asmal, chairman of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, indicated that South Africa would cancel the deal, valued at 87 million rand (£11.4 million), if requested to do so by Central African leaders.
Dr Asmal, former chairman of the Irish Anti Apartheid Movement and now President Nelson Mandela's Minister of Water Affairs, said South Africa would rescind the sale if asked to do so bay African leaders at today's summit in Nairobi.
Dr Asmal's statement comes after a telephone call to President Nelson Mandela from his Kenyan counterpart, Mr Daniel arap Moi, advising him that it would be "prudent" (to quote the word used by Kenya's state radio) to suspend the sale of arms.
The agreement is believed to involve the supply of light arms and troop carriers to Rwanda after the lifting of the UN arms embargo against the minuscule African state.
President Mandela last week defended the sale of arms to Rwanda's Tutsi dominated government; he argued that the Rwanda government had the right to defend itself against incursions from Hutu guerrillas operating from Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire.
Since then fighting between Tutsi rebels in Zaire and Zairean soldiers has worsened, causing tens of thousands of refugees to flee and raising fears of a massive human tragedy.
Dr Asmal insisted yesterday there was no evidence that Rwanda had intervened militarily on the side of the rebels.