South Africa to discuss Political and Economic Integration of Africa

Pretoria - Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad will attend the African Union Committee of 10 Meeting to discuss the political and economic integration of the Continent scheduled for Tuesday – Wednesday 27-28 November 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Deputy Minister Pahad will depart from South Africa on Monday 26 November 2007.

Deputy Minister Pahad will participate in this meeting within the context of South Africa’s priority to support the regional and continental integration agenda with a view to confronting the challenges of underdevelopment, instability and marginalisation facing the region and the continent.

In this regard, the AU Heads of State and Government Summit agreed in July 2007 t o establish a Ministerial Committee, consisting of South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt and Libya chaired by Ghana as current Chair of the AU, with a mandate to examine the following:

• The contents of the Union Government concept and its relations with national governments;
• Domains of competence and the impact of the establishment of the Union Government on the sovereignty of member states;
• Definition of the relationship between the Union Government and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs);
• Elaboration of the road map together with timeframes for establishing the Union Government; and
• Identification of additional sources of financing the activities of the Union.

The recommendations from the Committee of 10 will be presented to the Executive Council of Foreign Ministers who will present a report to the next Heads of State and Government Summit in January 2008.

On Thursday 29 November 2007 Deputy Minister Pahad will represent South Africa on the Ministerial Panel, consisting of South Africa, Angola, Djibouti, Kenya, Benin, Ghana, Egypt, Libya, Congo and Gabon, for the Election of Commissioners of the African Union. 

In this regard, the Executive Council at its Ninth Ordinary Session in Banjul, the Gambia in 2006 decided:

• To establish, in conformity with Article 14 of the Statues of the Commission, a Ministerial Panel composed of two (2) Member States per Region assisted by a team of consultants to be appointed with the Chairperson of the Commission; and
• Mandated the Panel to work out the modalities and procedures for the pre-selection, selection and elections of the Members of the Commission and to submit a report and appropriate recommendation thereon to the next Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in January 2007.

Accordingly, this Panel is expected to finalise the modalities and procedures for candidates to be nominated as Commissioners of the African Union.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

25 November 2007