Mandela Press Conference Release 1990

Interview with Nelson Mandela - First Press Conference After Release from Prison 13 February 1990 Q) When President De Klerk announced your release....he said that after meetings with you he had come to the conclusion that you were committed to peace. Last night you committed yourself to the intensification of the struggle. Would you care to comment? (A) There is no conflict between those statements. I have committed myself to the promotion of peace in the country, but I've done so as part and parcel of the decisions and campaigns which have been taken and launched by the ANC. There is no conflict whatsoever. There is not a single political organisation in this country inside and outside Parliament which can ever compare with the ANC in its total commitment to peace. We ...the armed struggle, is merely defensive. It is a defence act against the violence of apartheid, but we remain committed to peace. If the Government gives us the opportunity, if they normalise the situation, we are ready to make a positive contribution towards the peaceful settlement of the problems of this country. (Q) The Government's new battle seems to be protection for minority rights and a new negotiated constitution. Do you detect, here anyway, group rights, and do you see any room for accommodation here between the ANC and the Government. (A) The ANC is very much concerned to address the question of the concern Whites have over the demand of one person, one vote. They insist on structural guarantees, that is the Whites, to ensure that the realisation of this demand does not result in the domination of Whites by Blacks. We understand those feelings and the ANC is concerned to address that problem and to find a solution which will suit both the Blacks and Whites of this country. (Q) The Government has indicated that you are willing to act as mediator. Do you agree with... that term? (A) Well, in a sense I have been acting as a mediator becau