Minister Dlamini Zuma to Co-Chair SA-Iran Joint Commission, Tehran, 31 July 2008

Tehran – South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will, tomorrow, Thursday 31 July together with Acting Iranian Finance Minister Hossein Samsani, co-chair the 10th South Africa – Iran Joint Commission in Tehran, Iran scheduled from Thursday – Friday 31 July – 1 August 2008.

Minister Dlamini Zuma is currently in Tehran, Iran where she is leading a senior South African government delegation to the XV Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as well as the NAM Ministerial meeting on Palestine

During her visit to Iran, Minister Dlamini Zuma held bilateral discussions with Iranian leader, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as well as Dr. Saeed Jalili the Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Ministers Dlamini Zuma and Samsani will on Thursday co-chair the 10th South African-Iran Joint Commission within South Africa’s priority to strengthen bilateral political, economic and trade relations with Iran within the broad framework  of South-South co-operation.

The South Africa – Iran Joint Commission currently consists of the Political and Social Affairs and Economic and Technical Working Groups.

The Political and Social Affairs Working Group deliberate upon such issues as the Middle East, Africa, disarmament and nuclear issues, human rights, global governance, regional co-operation, South Africa’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (AsgiSA), education, health, environment and tourism, arts and culture, home affairs, sport and recreation, science and technology and women’s affairs.

The Economic and Technical Working Group on the other hand will focus its attention on investment co-operation, trade promotion, commerce exhibitions, customs, oil and petrochemical, transport, agriculture, housing, free trade zones, banking, electricity and mining.

During the SA-Iran Joint Commission, the two Ministers will also hold bilateral discussions focusing on:

• The status of bilateral political, economic and trade relations between both countries with a view to evaluating current co-operation as well as to investigate new areas of co-operation between the two countries;
• Peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa as well political and    socio-economic developments on the Continent;
• Developments in the Middle East;
• Nuclear non-proliferation;
• The reform of institutions of global governance; and
• Regional co-operation including within NAM, the IOR-ARC and NAASP.

Minister Dlamini Zuma is scheduled to return to South Africa on Sunday 3 August 2008 ahead of her official visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the SA-DRC Ministerial Review Session scheduled for 6-7 August in Kinshasa.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

30 July 2008