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President Mbeki to host Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
for an official visit to South Africa, Pretoria Monday and Wednesday 22- 25 November
2004 PRETORIA - South African President Thabo Mbeki will host the Vietnamese
Prime Minister, Phan Van Khai for bilateral political and economic discussions
on Monday and Wednesday, 22-24 November 2004 at the Union Buildings, Pretoria. Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai will be on a four-day official visit to South Africa from
Monday-Thursday 22-25 November 2004, following his visit to Morocco and Algeria.
The three African nations visit is historic in the sense that it the first by
a Vietnamese Head of government to the continent of Africa in more than three
decades. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai will be accompanied by the largest
delegation to ever visit South Africa including several government Ministers and
the Chairperson of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Doan Duy Khuong. Vietnam
regards South Africa as an important strategic gateway to Africa with a view to
increasing its commercial and diplomatic links with South Africa and other African
states. In this regard Vietnam eighteen months ago, launched the first Vietnam-Africa
Conference, with the theme: Opportunities for Co-operation and Development in
the 21st Century. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's visit to South Africa
will provide useful opportunities for South Africa and Vietnam to strengthen bilateral
relations and to create synergies between NEPAD and the Vietnam Africa Conference
for the mutual benefit of Africa and Vietnam. Furthermore, the visit will
give impetus to the processes under the Asia-Africa Sub-Regional Organisations
Conference (AASROC) aimed at establishing the New Strategic Partnership between
Africa and Asia to be launched in April next year during the 50th anniversary
of the first Bandung Conference. The visit will also enable Prime Minister
Phan Van Khai and President Mbeki to discuss important international and multilateral
issues. It is anticipated that the two leaders will discuss among others
the re-structuring of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions, Vietnam's
World Trade Organisation aspirations, South-South co-operation, the Middle East
Peace Process, political changes in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the ongoing campaign
against international terrorism. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853.
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Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001
21 November
2004
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