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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
It's been a turbulent week for South Africa's 2010 World Cup preparations with the cancellation of a high-profile 2010-themed Peace Conference following government's decision to bar the Dalai Lama. The decision was taken after Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu, FW De Klerk and the Nobel Committee decided to withdraw. Project 2010 spoke to Geir Lundestad, Director of the Nobel Institute in Norway...  What was your reaction to the decision to call off the conference? I was very disappointed that the conference was called off. I was looking forward to an interesting Conference with the strong participation of South Africa's own Peace Prize laureates, as well as some other laureates. Unfortunately the decision of the South African government not to issue a visa to the Dalai Lama made our participation impossible. In the end it also made the entire conference impossible. We could not be represented at a conference where one of the laureates was denied participation. What lessons can we learn from this? The South African government should change its position; the parties involved should communicate early and extensively with each other to prevent such incidents from happening. Was the fact that South Africa has three living Nobel Laureates - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and FW De Klerk - a major factor in your decision to host the Peace Conference in South Africa? The Norwegian Nobel Committee has always taken a strong interest in what goes on in South Africa. That is why four Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded to your country. The conference was supposed to focus on a number of issues relating to peace and harmony and the role soccer has played in achieving this. With South Africa's turbulent past and the serious social issues it still faces, do you think the 2010 World Cup can help heal divisions in this society? South Africa certainly has its challenges, even after the end of the apartheid system, but I hope that the 2010 World Cup will help heal divisions in South Africa's society. more interviews... |
