Minister Dlamini Zuma concludes discussions with Dr Condoleezza Rice ahead of handover ceremony of the chairmanship of the G77+ China in New York

Washington - South African Foreign Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, today, Monday 8 January 2007 concluded her visit to Washington where she held bilateral discussions with her US counterpart Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of the handover ceremony of the G77+ China scheduled for Wednesday 10 January in New York.

The bilateral discussions between Minister Dlamini Zuma and Secretary of State Dr. Rice was follow up to discussions held between President Thabo Mbeki and President George Bush held in Washington in December 2006.

In this regard, discussions between Minister Dlamini Zuma and Secretary of State Dr. Rice focused on forthcoming issued in the UN Security Council, including the situation in Sudan, development in the Middle East and Iran. This comes within the context of South Africa's recent assumption of the non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council.

On Wednesday, Minister Dlamini Zuma supported by foreign affairs Director-General Dr. Ayanda Ntsaluba, Deputy Director-General George Nene and SA's Permanent Representative to the UN Dumisani Kumalo, will participate in the UN ceremony in which South Africa will be handing over the Chairpersonship of the G77+ China to the Pakistani foreign Minister.

The ceremony will be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, President of the UN General Assembly Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, Secretary-General of UNCTAD Supachia Panitchpakdi and Kemal Davis, the Administrator of the UNDP.

The Group of 77 (G-77) is the largest coalition of developing countries in the United Nations, which provides a platform for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic and development issues in the United nations system, promote South-South co-operation and strengthen economic and technical co-operation among developing countries themselves.

During its tenure as Chairperson of the G-77+ China in 2006 South Africa was committed to enhancing the position of the Group as a constructive and responsible partner in promoting North-South relations, in support of the development agenda of the South. As Chair, South Africa engaged with the broad membership of the Group in order to generate consensus on potentially divisive issues, in addition to engaging with the development partners on a daily basis to promote and protect the mandate received form the Group.

The context in which South Africa chaired the G77 and China during 2006 was an unprecedented one in terms of the number of important new issues that the Group dealt with as part of the international debate on the need to reform the UN and make it a stronger and more effective organization. As a consequence of South Africa's efforts during the last year, the G77 and China has managed to generate new levels of preparedness, cohesion and solidarity within its ranks.

Minister Dlamini Zuma returns to SA on Thursday 11 January ahead of the funeral of the late SA's High Commissioner to Namibia Tim Maseko and the ANC's 95th Anniversary celebration in Witbank, Mpumalanga.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

C/o South African Embassy

Washington

8 January 2007