Members of Parliament invited to Official Visits to Foreign Countries

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: PQ 32

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 1 OF 11 FEBRUARY 2005

MR LK JOUBERT (IFP) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Whether any members of Parliament participated in official visits to foreign countries by invitation from her department in the past twelve months; if so, what are the (i) names and (ii) political affiliation of the members who went on such visits?
N74E.

REPLY:

Yes.

Members of the public, including members of Parliament and Civil Society are from time to time invited to participate in observer missions and Conferences. In the past twelve months Members of Parliament were invited to attend the following:

The South African Observer Mission to the Palestinian National Authority Presidential Elections, held on 9 January 2005, included Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The South Africa Observer Mission to Zimbabwe included Members of Parliament.

Broad-based invitations were extended to different political parties to attend the South African, African Union and Caribbean Diaspora Conference held in Kingston, Jamaica from 16-18 March 2005 and Members of Parliament attended.