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Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Arrives in Sudan
Ahead of AU Ministerial Meeting KHARTOUM - South African Foreign Minister
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma today, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 arrives in Khartoum,
Sudan ahead of African Union Ministerial meeting scheduled from Friday - Saturday,
20-21 January 2006. The Minister said in an interview to Sudan News Agency
(SUNA) at Khartoum airport that she will hold talks with officials in the Sudanese
Government about the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)
in view of the fact that South Africa chairs the AU post-reconstruction committee
on Sudan. Answering a question about the post-conflict reconstruction committee
in Sudan, Minister Dlamini Zuma said, " The committee deals with the implementation
of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the North and South Sudan.
"And that it has nothing to do with the issue of Darfur". Answering
a question on what should happen to the African forces in Darfur following a proposal
by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to replace these forces by European and
American forces, Minister Dlamini Zuma explained that "my understanding is
slightly different from the understanding that the issue is an African force that
needs to be replaced by a non-African force. "It is going to be transformed
into an AU-UN mission, because the UN Security Council has overall responsibility
regarding international peace and security and will not abdicate its responsibility
to an African mission". "The big problem is the problem of resources
because if it is a UN force, the UN is able to fund its missions, but since it
is an African force then the Africans have to fund the African Mission. This is
a difficulty!" said Minister Dlamini Zuma. "I will presume that
the core of that force will be the people who are part of the African mission
in Sudan". Answering a question by SUNA about relations between Sudan and
South Africa, Minister Dlamini Zuma said South Africa and Sudan are friendly countries
and co-operate fully and will continue trying to improve these relations more
and more." As for her expectations from the summit, she explained that
the African Heads of State and Government leaders will discuss and come out with
results that will take the process of building the AU, integration and development
forward. Foreign Ministers will discuss and make recommendations to the
African Union Heads of State and Government Summit on the following issues: - 6th
Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Conference on the World Trade Organisation
held in Hong Kong in December 2005;
- meetings of African Ministers of Education,
Culture, Health, Science and Technology;
- AU Commission;
- Draft
Common African Position on the United Nations Review process on the Plan of Action
on Small and Light Weapons;
- situation in the Middle East and Palestine;
- African
Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights;
- Chairperson of the Pan-African
Parliament;
- Outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society held in
Tunis in November 2005;
- meeting of the Troika on the Follow-up of the
Africa-Europe Dialogue held in Mali in December 2005;
- Elect members of
the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights; and
- Elect a member of
the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Issued
by Nomfanelo Kota on +27 82 459 3787 South African Embassy in Sudan
Khartoum,
Sudan 18 January 2006
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