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Address by Deputy Minister Sue van der Merwe at the Dinner in
Honour of Heads of Mission of the West and Central African Regions accredited
to South Africa, Pretoria, 30 March 2005 Your Excellencies,
Ambassadors
and High Commissioners,
Your Worship the Mayor of Pretoria,
Ladies and
Gentlemen Bon Soir mesdames, monsieurs, Excellences, c'est vraiment un plaisir
d' etre parmi vous ce soir. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you for taking time to join us
this evening. We have worked hard in the past year to strengthen relations
between South Africa and the various countries in West and Central Africa. During
our very busy and productive working sessions we have found that we have limited
opportunities to interact with each other informally and to explore areas of common
interest beyond the essential and urgent matters such as high level visits, the
preparation of large-scale bilateral meetings and the signing of agreements. From
our side we have felt the need also to interact in a more informal fashion and
this dinner presents us with an ideal opportunity to exchange views in a more
relaxed atmosphere to network and deepen our friendships. The Department
of Foreign Affairs, in line with the rest of the South African public service,
has recently completed its annual planning process of establishing the objectives
and priorities that will guide departmental actions during the coming year. I
would like to share with you some of our thoughts. Of course, the consolidation
of the African Agenda remains a central anchor point of South Africa's foreign
policy. The South African government firmly believes that the future of
South Africa is inextricably linked to the future of the African continent. Our
national vision of building a united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society
is what we also desire for the African continent as a whole. Our collective understanding
is that socio-economic development cannot take place without an enduring peace
and permanent political stability and democracy. These are the necessary conditions
for socio-economic development. Our work will continue to focus on the
strengthening of Africa's institutions continentally and regionally viz the African
Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). We shall continue
to focus on the promotion and support of the implementation of Africa's socio-economic
development programme, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as
well as strengthening and deepening bilateral political and economic relations
with all countries in Africa through the establishment of effective structures
for dialogue and co-operation. The AU has both a political mandate and also
a socio-economic role aimed at alleviating poverty and promoting sustainable economic
and social development and growth. The Peace and Security Council (PSC) is intended
as a decision-making organ for the prevention, management and resolution of conflict
and the provision of collective security and early-warning of conflict and crisis
situations in Africa. As a PSC member, South Africa will continue to support the
establishment of continental, regional and national Early Warning Systems, the
African Standby Force, including regional brigades, a Common African Defence and
Security Policy and the Panel of the Wise. As the host of the Pan-African
Parliament, one of the "people's organs" along with the ECOSOCC, South
Africa will work hard to provide an appropriate environment and work with the
AU to ensure that the parliament can effectively play its envisaged role. The
parliament and ECOSOCC are important instruments to ensure that civil society
stakeholders receive prominence in their interaction with continental and regional
mechanisms. It is our belief that a strong civil society, including the private
sector, is an essential element in ensuring good governance and deepening democracy
and can contribute towards enriching continental deliberations on all issues. The
year 2005 presents us with a unique set of opportunities through which the process
of redefining the partnership paradigm and securing concrete support for Africa's
socio-economic development can be pursued. These include the UN Secretary-General's
High Level Panel Report on Threats, Challenges and Change, the Commission for
Africa Report, the 2nd Report on the Implementation of the G8 Africa Action Plan
at the June 2005 Summit in Scotland, the CSD13 process, the Africa Partnership
Forum meetings, the 3rd Report on the Implementation of UN Support for NEPAD,
the Beijing +10 Review, the Copenhagen +10 Review and the MDG +5 Review. As
Africans we need to use these fora and the opportunities these reports present
to intensify our efforts to possess our own future and to ensure that Africa indeed
occupies a more central place in the world. Important initiatives to generate
support for the African continent will also be pursued through the Asia-Africa
partnership process (AASROC), culminating in the Golden Jubilee Africa-Asia Summit
in Indonesia in April this year, the IBSA partnership, the G77 South Summit and
the Conference on Progressive Governance to be hosted by South Africa later this
year. Your Excellencies, with these important developments in mind, I believe
that we have to strengthen our own collective thinking on these and other matters
as part of a great African family. For many in our country, the West and Central
African region represents a part of the continent largely unknown to many South
Africans. The region that you represent. certainly represents a diverse range
of cultures, languages and religions. It is also a region that presents the continent
with significant challenges in our common quest to advance the African Agenda. The
situation in Côte d'Ivoire presents a particular challenge to peace and
stability in that sub-region. President Mbeki continues to pursue his mediation
effort at the behest of the African Union. We acknowledge that these processes
are never easy and are often time consuming, and that a great deal of patience
is required. The President will again host the key roleplayers in the Ivorian
process in Pretoria this weekend, where he will lead the effort to re-generate
momentum in the process. The economic impact of this crisis is not lost on Côte
d'Ivoire's neighbours. We cannot allow this situation to prevail and negatively
impact on Côte d'Ivoire and the wider sub-region. The firm stance
taken by the AU on Togo, together with the brokering role played by ECOWAS, have
led to an acceptable solution which will see elections called to properly elect
a new Togolese head of state. In the Manu River Union we have seen a return
to peace after decades of internal conflict once again particularly as a result
of the intervention of ECOWAS and countries in that region. For countries such
as Liberia and Sierra Leone the most important phase of reconstruction now lies
ahead to ensure sustainable peace and stability. South Africa will also endeavour
to play a role here within the constraints of its own limited resources. In
the Central African Republic we have witnessed a country slowly returning to the
international fold. We trust that the recent presidential election will clear
the way for the CAR to play its rightful role in the continent and eagerly await
the official results of the poll. All of these are significant developments
that pave the way for an Africa that is at peace with itself and the world. To
underpin our efforts in these two regions South Africa has recently established
a number of new diplomatic missions and will continue to do so, as additional
resources become available. Bilateral relations will be further strengthened through
the signing of agreements and the establishment of Joint Commissions of Co-operation.
South Africa will endeavour to deepen relations with countries in these
two regions during the coming year specifically at the technical level through
co-operation inter alia in the Trade and Investment, Mining and Energy, Agriculture,
Transport, Environment and Tourism, Crime and Justice, Health, Education and Cultural
sectors. Together we must begin to make South-South Co-operation and the ideals
of NEPAD a reality. We are looking forward to the 7th session of the Nigeria/South
Africa Binational Commission and the 2nd session of the Mali/South Africa Joint
Commission of Co-operation during the coming year. New instruments for the promotion
of bilateral relations will become operational with the launching of the Ghana/South
Africa Joint Commission of Co-operation, the Senegal/South Africa Binational Commission
and the Republic of Congo/South Africa Joint Commission of Co-operation. While
we will soon host a delegation of senior officials from Guinea to explore the
strengthening of bilateral relations, special efforts will be made from our side
to finalise and conclude outstanding agreements with Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial
Guinea and the Republic of Congo. As African Heads of Mission you are ideally
placed to encourage bilateral technical co-operation and particularly the promotion
of intra-African trade and investment. We look forward to hearing a little later
from the Secretary General of Trade Point Africa on how Trade Points can be established
in your countries and be utilised by our diplomatic representations for this purpose. The
period that lies ahead of us hold much promise, especially in efforts to reform
the international political architecture. The recent decision of African states
taken in Swaziland, known as the "Ezulwini Consensus", shows that Africa
is committed to working together to take serious decisions. Let us continue
to consolidate our efforts to build a fairer, equitable international system.
Let us continue to bring about progressive change on the African continent. I
firmly believe that this spirit of togetherness that has characterised Africa
in the last decade of the twentieth century in the second wave of democracy to
sweep our continent has continued up until the present. This unity has marked
the building of the African Union and is standing us in good stead in dealing
with the broader international community in promoting Africa's agenda. We
look forward to working with you all in achieving our common objectives in building
a better Africa in a better world. May you have a very enjoyable and relaxed
evening. Thank you Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag
X152
Pretoria
0001 30 March 2005
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