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Minister Dlamini Zuma to deliver Foreign Relations Budget Speech Cape
Town - South African Foreign Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on Tuesday
29 May deliver her annual Budget Speech outlining the priorities of South Africa's
foreign relations for the year 2007 - 2008. In this regard, the government
has agreed on a set of priorities for the conduct of South Africa's Foreign Relations
including the Consolidation of the African agenda, South-South Co-operation, north-South
Relations and Global Political and Economic Governance. Since the advent
of peace, democracy and justice in South Africa, the country's image has grown
in stature and is consulted on major international relations issues including
matters of international peace and security. On the African continent, South
Africa is represented at a bilateral level on a number of African countries and
has contributed immensely to the peaceful resolution of conflicts as part of its
commitment to the consolidation of the African Agenda. In this regard, South Africa
is regarded as an honest broker in the peaceful resolution of conflicts. As
part of advancing the cause of the Consolidation of the African Agenda, South
Africa continues to build strategic partnerships with countries of the North with
a view to pushing the frontiers of poverty and under-development through NEPAD. At
a multilateral level, South Africa has now assumed its non-permanent seat at the
UN Security Council where it became its President for the month of March. In this
regard, South Africa championed two themes in the Council focusing on the role
of women in peacekeeping to mark International Women's Day on March 8 and the
relationship between the UNSC and regional organisations including the African
Union. South Africa continues to champion the cause of the developing world
by participation in the Non-Aligned Movement, the Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership
among other fora. In this context, South Africa together with India and Brazil
launched a historic and strategic partnership to advance the developmental agenda
of the South. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa at 082-990-4853 Department
of Foreign Affairs
P/Bag X152
Pretoria
0001 27 May 2007
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