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Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana
Dlamini Zuma to Co-Chair 3rd Session of South Africa
- Brazil Joint Binational Commission, Brasilia, Brazil,
Thursday, 28 - Friday, 29 October 2004
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,
will depart from South Africa later this week ahead
of the 3rd session of the South Africa - Brazil Joint
Binational Commission in Brasilia, Brazil from Thursday
- Friday, 28-29 October 2004.
Minister Dlamini Zuma will co-chair this session together
with her Brazilian counterpart, Foreign Minister Celso
Amorim.
Issues on the agenda of political discussions will
include, among others:
- Regional developments with regard to Africa and
Latin America;
- The operationalisation of the African Union and
its organs - including the inauguration of the Pan-African
Parliament in its permanent home on 16 September 2004;
the launch of the peace and security council; the
operationalisation of the African Standby Force, Early
Warning System and African Court of Justice;
- The reform of multilateral institutions, including
the United Nations and all its organs;
- Developments within the India-Brazil-South Africa
trilateral dialogue; and
- The global fight against terrorism.
In addition, developments in our bilateral relations,
particularly in the areas of trade, defence, transport,
health, social services, minerals and energy, and tourism
since the first Joint Commission meeting will be reviewed.
A number of new fields of co-operation with Brazil will
also be explored.
Bilateral Trade Relations
Brazil is South Africa's biggest trading partner in
Latin America. Brazilian exports to South Africa have
steadily increased from 1993 up to and including 1997
by almost 85%. For the year 2002, Brazil's exports to
South Africa took an upswing to US$447 683 121 resulting
in a trade balance of US$266 016 108 in Brazil's favour.
Major South African exports to Brazil:
Precious stones and metal, anthracite and coal, iron
and steel, miscellaneous chemical products, organic
chemicals, aluminium, herbicides, synthetic fibres,
machinery and mechanical appliances, paper and paperboard,
inorganic chemicals and mineral fuels.
Major Brazilian exports to South Africa:
Meat and edible meat offals, animal and vegetable oils,
tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes, ore slags
and ashes, mineral fuels, organic chemicals, raw hides
and skins and leather, ceramic products, machinery and
mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and equipment
vehicles and parts and accessories thereof, aircraft,
spacecraft and parts thereof.
Manufactured products from South Africa that are at
present entering the Brazilian market are:
Mining equipment, man-made filaments, chemicals, wine,
pool equipment, roof tiles, electricity meters, steel
tubes, glass and software.
Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853.
Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001
24 October 2004
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