|
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aziz Pahad to lead South
African Delegation to Sudan, New Site, Kapoeta County, Sudan Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Aziz Pahad will lead a senior South African government and
academic delegation to New Site, Kapoeta County in Sudan on the first phase of
the Department of Foreign Affairs - Sudanese People's Liberation Movement - University
of South Africa (DFA-SPLM-UNISA) Institution and Capacity Building Project scheduled
for Saturday, 5 to Friday, 11 February 2005. South Africa currently chairs
the African Union (AU) Committee on Post-Conflict Reconstruction of Sudan. In
this regard, the DFA-SPLM-UNISA project will impact positively on the mandate
of this Committee. In addition, President Thabo Mbeki, during his official visit
to Sudan in December 2004, stressed that South Africa, as Chair of this Committee,
would work with other African countries and the international community towards
the re-building and sustainable socio-economic development of the Sudan. The
delegation will include: Deputy Finance Minister Jabulani Moleketi and other senior
officials from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Public Service and
Administration, Defence, Safety and Security and Intelligence, the South African
Management Development Institute (SAMDI) and UNISA. The implementation of
this project follows the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between
the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the SPLM on 9 January 2005 which brought to
an end to the civil war in South Sudan that started in 1983. The signing
of the CPA marks the start of the six-month Pre-Interim Period (January - July
2005) during which the SPLM has to assemble and constitute a government for South
Sudan and nominate members to form part of central government in Khartoum. This
will be followed by an Interim Period (July 2005 - July 2011) during which the
SPLM has to govern in South Sudan, and participate in central government in Khartoum
in a comprehensive and effective manner. The DFA-SPLM-UNISA project aims
to equip the SPLM leadership and other Southern Sudan cadres with skills and experience
that will enable them to participate equitably at all levels of governance during
the Pre-Interim and Interim Periods, and to discharge their civic duties and deliver
basic social services and infrastructure to the people of South Sudan. The project
will therefore play an integral role in the implementation of the CPA for South
Sudan, as well as the reconstruction of the region. The Department of Foreign
Affairs will provide political and diplomatic support for the Project; the SPLM
will identify, design and deliver workshops, short courses and academic programmes
on identified issues and themes; while UNISA will co-ordinate the academic aspect
of the project. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853. Department
of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001 3 February
2005
| 
