Minister Dlamini Zuma to attend Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting in Iran

Paris – South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will today Monday 28 July 2008 depart from France for Tehran, Iran where she will lead a senior South African government delegation to the XV Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) scheduled from Tuesday – Wednesday 29-30 July 2008.

Minister Dlamini Zuma was in France where she was part of President Thabo Mbeki’s high level Ministerial delegation at the inaugural South Africa – European Union Summit in Bordeaux on Friday 25 July 2008.

The South African delegation will participate in the NAM Ministerial meeting that will be held under the banner, “Solidarity for peace, justice and friendship,” with a view to consolidating South-South co-operation as well as to contribute to the revitalisation of the NAM.

The Ministers will receive a report by Cuba, in its capacity as the current Chair of NAM, on the activities of the NAM since the XVI Summit in Havana as well as a Report of the Senior Officials Meeting that will precede the Ministerial meeting.

The Ministerial Conference will review the Movement’s work since the XIV Summit in Havana in 2006 based on these reports, revise and update the Action Plan adopted at the XVI NAM Summit and identify areas requiring action from NAM to meet its goals in the time remaining before the XV Summit that will be hosted by Egypt in 2009. The meeting will conclude with the adoption of the Final Document and, if agreed, a declaration on an issue/issues of concern to the Movement.

Ministers will further deliberate on the following issues:

• Global Issues including the review of the international situation, international law, promotion and preservation of multilaterism, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-use of threats or use of force, culture of peace and dialogue among civilisations, religions and cultures,  right to self-determination and decolonisation, Follow-up to the Millennium Declaration and the outcomes of Major UN Summits and Conferences, United Nations related issues including reform,  disarmament and international security, terrorism, democracy, North-South dialogue and cooperation and the role of regional organisations;
• Regional and Sub-Regional issues in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean;
• Development, Social and Human Rights issues including least developed countries, landlocked  developing countries and small, trade, South-South cooperation, human rights and fundamental freedoms, International Humanitarian Law, information and communication technology, advancement of women, health, transnational organised crime, drug trafficking and corruption.        

 Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

28 July 2008