ABSTRACT
The focus of the crisis shifted to the United Nations headquarters in New York. The African National Congress (ANC) specifically demanded a role for the United Nations in furthering the political process. All the delegations Vance held discussions with, across the spectrum of South African politics, demanded a strong United Nations presence in the country to assist the political process. Long-term measures included a request to the South African Law Commission to examine suitable constitutional models for a new South Africa that could safeguard the government’s mix of individual and minority rights. The ANC’s constitutional policy can be traced back to the principles laid out in the Freedom Charter. The transition from secret and informal to open and formal negotiations was signalled by the parties’ going public with their intent to replace violence with talking. Despite the mounting violence, the government and the ANC began to assemble their negotiating teams and positions.
