Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka to host Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern

Pretoria – South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will on Tuesday 15 January 2008 host the Prime Minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern for bilateral political and economic discussions at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.  Prime Minister Ahern will pay a working visit to South Africa scheduled from Sunday – Tuesday 13 – 15 January 2008.

Prime Minister Ahern will also pay a courtesy call on the South African President Thabo Mbeki on the same day.

President Mbeki and Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka will meet Prime Minister Ahern within the context of strengthening North-South dialogue and consolidating the African agenda.

Bilateral relations between Ireland and South Africa are cordial and on a sound basis, with the two countries sharing similar values and agreeing on many international issues.  The two countries have furthermore enjoyed frequent bilateral contacts at Ministerial and Officials level since 1994.

Discussions between Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka and Prime Minister Ahern are expected to include:

• The strengthening of bilateral political, trade and economic relations;
• The forthcoming South Africa - Ireland Partnership Forum to be hosted by Ireland;
• The status of the Northern Ireland Peace Process;
• The active promotion of economic relations through AsgiSA and JIPSA;
• Regional matters and Ireland’s engagement in support of the African agenda;
• Conflict resolution in Africa; and
• Outcomes of the European Union - Africa Summit recently held in Lisbon

In addition, the visit offers a platform to promote business opportunities between the two countries and to identify further co-operation projects within the AsgiSA framework.

Prime Minister Ahern will depart from South Africa on Tuesday 15 January 2008.

Economic Bilateral Relations

Tourism has witnessed unprecedented growth with a steady increase in tourism arrivals from Ireland placing the country in the 8 th position of tourism source countries for South Africa.

Trade between the two countries has grown substantially.  Ireland is presently South Africa’s 41 st biggest export market.  Furniture appears to be South Africa’s largest export to Ireland (27%); fertilizers and minerals 26%; coal, coke and briquettes 16%, while fruit and vegetables account for about 11%.

Imports to South Africa are dominated by office machinery and automatic data processing machines.

South African Exports to Ireland           (ZAR)                         

    2003               2004               2005               2006

1,112, 916     1,024, 704     1,122,108      1,127, 271

 South African Imports from Ireland

    2003               2004               2005               2006

    2,800, 544     4,053,853      4,072,400      4,311,945

While in South Africa Prime Minister Ahern will visit and show support for Irish development assistance projects in the country.  On Monday 14 January, Prime Minister Ahern will visit the Niall Mellon Township Trust in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, and on Tuesday 15 January 2008 visit the Leratong Hospice in Atteridgeville.

Media Programme for incoming Visit by Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, Tuesday 15 January 2008

For further information contact Manusha Pillai on 082 389 3587 or Terrence Manase on 082 338 6707

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

14 January 2008