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Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Dlamini
Zuma to Visit Chad, Nigeria, Angola and Botswana, 4-13
March 2003
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini
Zuma will depart from South Africa on Tuesday, 4th March
2003 on a four-legged visit to Chad, Angola, Nigeria
and Botswana.
Chad
The Minister will attend and Chair the Ordinary Session
of the Executive Council Ministers of Foreign Affairs
of the African Union in N'Djamena, Chad from Tuesday,
4-7 March 2003.
The meeting in Chad is the third for the Executive Council
of Ministers, with the first having been held in Tripoli,
Libya to consider proposals for the amendments to the
Constitutive Act of the AU. The Ministers proposals
were tabled at the recent Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads
of State and Government held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
During this meeting, the Interim Chairperson, Amara
Essy will provide reports on the African Union Commission
and the high-level intergovernmental meeting on the
prevention and combating of terrorism in Africa.
The Executive Council will also receive a report from
the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) on the
financial status of the African Union.
Nigeria
Minister Dlamini Zuma will form part of the South African
government delegation led by Deputy President Jacob
Zuma to the NEPAD Heads of State Implementation Committee
Meeting from 7-8 March in Abuja, Nigeria.
Issues on the agenda include reports by Professor Wiseman
Nkuhlu (the Chairperson of the NEPAD Steering Committee);
the implementation of NEPAD infrastructure; the review
of development effectiveness between Africa and its
partners and the African Peer Review Mechanism, including
its objectives, standards, criteria and indicators.
Leaders from the following countries are expected to
attend the meeting: South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique,
Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria. Mauritius,
Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of
Congo
Angola
In Angola, Minister Dlamini Zuma will attend the SADC
Council of Ministers meeting from 9-10 March 2003 in
Luanda, Angola.
The Council of Ministers will, apart from organisational
issues, discuss progress made in the restructuring of
the organisation, the operationalisation of the African
Union, NEPAD, and the Africa Growth and Opportunity
Act (AGOA).
The Council of Ministers meeting will be preceded by
the Inaugural Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM),
the SADC Review Committee of Ministers and the Senior
Officials which will prepare the necessary documentation
for consideration by Ministers.
Botswana
In Botswana, Minister Dlamini Zuma will form part of
President and Mrs Mbeki's delegation on a State Visit
from Tuesday, 11-13 March 2003. The state visit was
postponed during September 2002, due to the hosting
by South Africa of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD) in Johannesburg.
The visit comes in the wake of deepening bilateral political
and economic relations between the two countries. During
the visit, President Mbeki is expected to hold bilateral
discussions with his Botswana counterpart, President
Festus Mogae to discuss among others issues the African
Union, NEPAD, the restructuring of SADC and bilateral/
regional issues of mutual concern.
It is envisaged that both countries will finalise the
Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Permanent
Commission for Co-operation (JPCC) proposed by foreign
ministers of both countries in October 2000.
For further information contact Ronnie Mamoepa on 082
990 4853 or Nomfanelo Kota on 082 377 7208.
Issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001
3 March 2003
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