Opening Address by Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Motakki at South Africa - Iran Joint Bilateral Commission

In the Name of God, the Almighty

At the outset, on my own behalf and on behalf of my delegation, I wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to the Government of the Republic of South Africa for the generous hospitality accorded to us and the excellent arrangements made for the 9th session of the Joint Commission between our two countries.

In view of the desire and will of our two countries to further expand and strengthen their relations, I hope we take another step forward in this session to meet the interests of our two nations in various fields.

As you are aware, since the 8th session of the Joint Commission, different measures have been taken to enhance our mutual ties which have brought about significant results in various sectors as follows:

In the political sector, important developments have taken place including the second meeting of the political committee co-chaired by the vice-ministers of foreign affairs of our two countries to discuss issues of mutual interest;

Of such developments, mention can also be made of the meetings of the foreign ministers of the troika of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of South Africa and the meeting of foreign ministers of Indian Ocean Rim Association in Tehran which were actively attended by the two countries.

In the areas of international issues and nuclear energy, constructive consultations have so far been conducted between our two countries which we believe are important to be continued in the future. Unfortunately, the referral of Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council and the consequent resolution issued against my country by certain world powers has led to the politicization and derailment of the dossier from its legal channels. The resolution of the UN Security Council has ignored the inalienable right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to peaceful use of nuclear energy ensured by the NPT.

Islamic Republic of Iran rejects this UN Security Council Resolution as discriminatory and insists on its statutory right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

The current developments in the Middle East and the occupied lands of Palestine which have assumed new dimensions in recent days are among issues which are of interest to both countries.

We have always been and are still of the view that the Palestinian question cannot be settled by coercive and violent means. What has happened during the past six months has left little doubt that the people of this region are more determined than ever and regain their lost rights even at the cost of their lives and properties. We believe that the restoration of peace and stability in this region will not be possible unless the rights of the people in this region are respected.

So, in this sector, the promotion of mutual co-operation between our two countries and the fast-changing pace of regional and international developments have redoubled the need for our continuous political consultations.

In the petroleum and petrochemicals sector, Iran's exports to South Africa has risen from 140 000 barrels per day to 157 000 barrels per day. Beside, the one-billion dollar project of olefin 9 undertaken by the Iranian National Petrochemicals Company and the South African Sasol will go on stream in the coming months.

In the health sector, the first group of Iranian physicians and medical doctors have already arrived in South Africa who will soon be joined by a second group. And, we hope that with this successful experience in sight we will see a development of our co-operation in this sector as well.

In the telecommunications sector, the huge project of the second operator of cell phones has been entrusted to the South African MTN company which enables it to play a new role in the Iranian market and possibly make a way into the neighbouring markets as well.

In the trade sector, we have been witnessing a rising import of South African agricultural products to the Iranian market. Islamic Republic of Iran, too, plans to establish its trade centre in the Republic of South Africa. The funds needed for this plan have already been approved and a delegation of the representatives of the Iranian Chamber of CO-operatives visited the Republic of South Africa for this purpose.

In the maritime sector, the first meeting of the maritime Committee was convened in Cape Town and the number of Iranian ships visiting the South African ports has increased. The establishment of direct air links and conclusion of an agreement on visa exemption are being discussed by the relevant authorities of our two countries. We hope these measures will help facilitate trade and business activities between our two countries.

These efforts have opened new prospects for mutual co-operation. However, progress made in some areas is far from being desired.

Mining is a sector with ample potential for our mutual co-operation with requires greater attention by both sides. It is worth mentioning that economic co-operation between our two countries started with the establishment of a mining school by South Africa in the Iranian city of Shahroud 40 years ago. After that, our mutual co-operation in the mining sector began to increase, though it later suffered a 15-year break due to the severance of diplomatic ties between our two countries. Since then, we have never been anywhere close to the status that the mining sector deserves in our bilateral relations.

Another sector which calls for greater attention by both sides is agriculture. Though the framework agreement on agricultural co-operation has been signed and some meetings have been held between our two countries, little work has been done in this field.

Our past agreements on co-operation in areas related to women have not yet been implemented. In this regard, I propose that the ambassadors of our two countries in Tehran and Pretoria work our practical mechanisms in co-operation with the relevant parties to develop our relations in the three above-mentioned fields and submit them for consideration and approval by the competent authorities.

In conclusion, I propose that, as it was done in our previous meetings, we set up two working groups, namely political - social and economic - technical working groups to discuss the related issues. On our part, HE Mr Javid Ghorbanoghil, Director-General for Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and HE Mr Mousavi Mirkalayi, Director-General for Arab and African States of the Ministry of Commerce will co-chair the committees.

Issued on behalf of the Iranian Foreign Ministry by the Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

21 August 2006