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 The BBC's correspondent Martin Turner reports:"South Africa has shown no great enthousiasm for the extradition request"  real 28k |
No decision on Mengistu extradition
Mengistu took power in 1974 |
The South African Government says it is still reviewing a request from Ethiopia for the extradition of former Ethiopian President Mengistu Haile Mariam.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the request was received on Friday, but could not give any details of what was in it, or whether South Africa would agree to it.
"All developments in this regard will be discussed with the Ethiopian authorities within existing diplomatic channels" Mr Daniel Ngwepe said.
 It is a question of political will  |
| Mr Daniel Ngwepe |
He has lived in exile in Zimbabwe since fleeing Ethiopia in 1991 as rebel forces closed in on the capital Addis Ababa.
He had ruled Ethiopia for 17 years after overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974.
The Ethiopian Government wants Mr Mengistu to face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for the murder of thousands of opponents of his military Marxist regime during its so-called "Red Terror" campaign of 1977 and 1978.
Emperor Haile Selassie died in murky circumstances in 1975 |
"It is not a question of a treaty but rather one of political will" Mr Ngwepe told the French news agency AFP.
Last week Presidential Affairs Minister Essop Pahad ruled out deporting Mr Mengistu because of the lack of a treaty.
Difficult decision
The South African government is facing a difficult political decision, with some commentators suggesting that even allowing Mr Mengistu to receive medical treatment in the country could damage South Africa's international credibility.
"Human rights define South Africa. Domestically and internationally they are the mainspring of the nation's extraordinary prestige and influence" said John Stremlan, Professor of International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand.
Death penalty
Zimbabwe has also had extradition requests for Mr Mengistu from the Ethiopian government, which it has repeatedly refused due to the absence of an extradition treaty.
Ethiopia says Mr Mengistu's crimes are such that the absence of this treaty is not a good enough reason to refuse to send him home.
Ethiopian courts are already trying Mr Mengistu and hundreds of other government officials accused of directing the killings of the late 1970s. He faces the death penalty if found guilty.
The US-based Human Rights Watch has called for Mr Mengistu to be tried in South Africa under customary international law.
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See also: |
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03 Dec 99 | Africa |
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Ethiopians push SA for Mengistu extradition |
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22 Jul 99 | Battle in the Horn |
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The leaders who won't back down |
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09 Nov 99 | Africa |
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Fall of the Wall echoes in Africa |
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08 Nov 99 | Africa |
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Ethiopia: A refugee's story |
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