DATE= 10/7/97 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-220937 TITLE=SAF U-S SPIES (L-ONLY) BYLINE=DELIA ROBERTSON DATELINE=JOHANNESBURG CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WAS NOT IN ANY WAY INVOLVED IN THE RECENT ARREST (MONDAY) OF THREE ALLEGED SPIES IN THE UNITED STATES. HOWEVER, AS V-O-A'S DELIA ROBERTSON REPORTS FROM OUR JOHANNESBURG BUREAU, PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA SAYS HE WOULD HAVE ASSISTED, IF ASKED. TEXT: PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA SAYS SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT AND NEVER HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE SO-CALLED "STING" OPERATION IN WHICH U-S FEDERAL OFFICERS POSED AS AGENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA IN ORDER TO EFFECT THE ARREST OF THREE ALLEGED SPIES. HOWEVER, MR. MANDELA SAID HE WOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO ASSIST, IF HE HAD BEEN ASKED. SOUTH AFRICA WAS DRAWN INTO THE AFFAIR BECAUSE THE AGENTS POSED AS SOUTH AFRICANS AFTER ONE OF THE ALLEGED SPIES -- THERESA MARIE SQUILLACOTE -- WROTE TO DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER RONNIE KASRILS. IN A STATEMENT, DEPUTY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI SAID THAT IN 1995, MS. SQUILLACOTE WROTE TO MR. KASRILS TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON THE PUBLICATION OF HIS BOOK ABOUT HIS YEARS IN THE ANTI-APARTHEID STRUGGLE. //OPT// THE BOOK IS TITLED "ARMED AND DANGEROUS". //END OPT// MR. MBEKI SAYS MS. SQUILLACOTE USED THE PSEUDONYM "LISA MARTIN", AND ALSO EXPRESSED HER SATISFACTION WITH THE NEW DEMOCRACY IN THIS COUNTRY. LATER, MR. KASRILS SENT A CHRISTMAS CARD THANKING HER FOR HER INTEREST. THAT, SAYS MR. MBEKI, WAS THE SUM OF THE CONTACT BETWEEN THE TWO. HE SAID REPORTS THAT MS. SQUILLACOTE OFFERED IN HER LETTER TO SPY FOR SOUTH AFRICA ARE UNTRUE. MR. MBEKI SAID THE U-S FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION -- OR F-B-I --INTERCEPTED THE CORRESPONDENCE BECAUSE MS. SQUILLACOTE WAS ALREADY UNDER INVESTIGATION. HOWEVER HE DID NOT EXPLAIN HOW MR. KASRILS BECAME AWARE THAT "THERESA MARIE SQUILLACOTE" AND "LISA MARTIN" WERE THE SAME INDIVIDUAL. (SIGNED) NEB/DAR/PCF 07-Oct-97 12:01 PM EDT (1601 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .