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Co-sponsorship of the Recent Asian-African Summit NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL REPLY QUESTION NO: 700 PUBLISHED
IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 14 OF 20 MAY 2005 Mr D H M Gibson (DA) to
ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
(1) Whether South Africa was a co-sponsor
of the recent Asian-African Summit that was held in Indonesia; if so, (a) how
much did the government contribute towards the costs of the conference, (b) what
specified items were covered by South Africa's contribution and (c) which government
officials attended the conference at state expense;
(2) whether the state
incurred any costs related to this summit; if not, who sponsored South Africa's
attendance; if so, (a) what was the total cost and (b) on what items were these
costs incurred? N915E REPLY: Question 1 Yes,
South Africa was a co-sponsor of the recently held Asian-African Summit together
with Indonesia. The Summit took place in Jakarta, Indonesia from 22-23 April 2005. (a)
The Department of Foreign Affairs' contribution towards the costs of the Summit
is estimated at R 598 742.00. (b) The following expenses were incurred by
the Department of Foreign Affairs: (i) Assistance to SADC (R 10 400.00)
A
request for financial assistance was received from the Southern African Development
Community (SADC). South Africa agreed to bear the accommodation costs for one
representative from SADC, which amounted to R 10 400.00. The idea behind
the assistance to SADC was to ensure that as many of the Sub-Regional Organisations
attend the Asian-African Summit, bearing in mind the integral role they would
play in implementing the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership. This was further
in line with an agreement between South Africa and Indonesia that South Africa
would assist the African Sub-Regional Organisations while Indonesia would assist
the Asian Sub-Regional Organisations. (ii) Travel, accommodation and performance
costs for Ms Miriam Makeba and her band (R 489 500.00) South Africa was
approached by Indonesia to obtain the services of a local artist to perform at
various events during the Asian-African Summit. In view of her status as an icon
of the Freedom Struggle and an internationally renowned artist, Ms Miriam Makeba
and her band of 10 musicians were approached and she agreed to perform at the
Summit. The estimated costs incurred in this regard amounted to R 489 500.00. (iii)
Travel and accommodation costs for the South African representatives that attended
the Workshop on the role of Women and Youth in furthering Asian-African Co-operation.
(R 98 842.00) The Workshop took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on 19 April
2005. A decision was taken to pay for the travel and accommodation costs
for 2 representatives (one representing women and the other the youth) to ensure
their attendance at the workshop. The decision was motivated by the fact that
South Africa was co-chairing the workshop. The estimated costs incurred in this
regard amounted to R 98 842.00. (c) A list of officials from the Department
of Foreign Affairs who attended the Summit, is attached hereto as Annexure "A".
Please note that the list does not include officials that accompanied the President
or those that represented other departments at the Summit. Question
2
See answer to question 1.
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