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Address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana
Dlamini Zuma, to the National Assembly on the occasion of the Budget Vote of the
Department of Foreign Affairs, Cape Town 29 May 2007
Madame Speaker
President
Thabo Mbeki
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Members of the Portfolio
Committee of Foreign Affairs
Honourable Members
Members of the Diplomatic
Corps
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen: This year is the
40th Anniversary of the death of Inkosi Albert Luthuli, South Africa's first Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate. In 1961 Inkosi Albert Luthuli spoke of the "golden
age of Africa's independence." "Could it be that history has
delayed her (Africa's) rebirth for a purpose? The situation confronts her with
inescapable challenges, but more importantly with opportunities for service to
herself and mankind…How she sees her destiny is a more vital and rewarding
quest than bemoaning her past with humiliation and suffering." Indeed
how we see our destiny as Africans is a more vital and rewarding quest. Since
time immemorial, South Africans have visualised a common destiny for all Africans.
This is evident in our National Anthem that is derived from a song composed by
a school teacher, Enoch Sontonga, in 1897. It subsequently became a National Anthem
of several countries on the continent after their liberation. In 1906 Pixley
Ka Seme, in his essay "The Regeneration of Africa" picks up on the theme
of African renewal and African unity. He argues that: "The African
people possess a common fundamental sentiment which is everywhere manifest, crystallizing
itself into one common controlling idea." His essay would inspire
generations to come into mobilising for the cause of Africa's development. The
idea of a common Africa also preoccupied generations of Africans. More than
40 years ago, great African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Sekou Toure
of Guinea, looked into the future and recognised the need that for Africa to succeed,
Africa should unite. The idea that Africans could come together as a united federation
of nations and states led to a new consciousness of what it means to be truly
African.
In the words of Nkrumah, "We must endeavour to eradicate
quickly the forces that have kept us apart. The best means of doing so is to begin
to create a larger and all-embracing loyalty which will hold Africa together as
a united people with one government and one destiny." After various
meetings on the continent, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was based on
the principles of unity and solidarity which sustained the struggles for liberation
throughout the whole continent. Various initiatives over the years have
paved the way towards this moment in Africa's history where we can 'engineer'
our own renaissance. The Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty, the formation
of the African Union, the adoption of the NEPAD initiative - have all been milestones
along the road to unity. The existence of the Pan African Parliament is
already a pointer in the direction of unity. It brings together African parliamentarians
to consider important questions on the social, economic and political future of
the continent and all its peoples. The African Human Rights Court is already
established. It will eventually be amalgamated with the African Criminal Court.
The Commission on Human and Peoples Rights is functioning, although it needs more
resources. The financial institutions are still to be established. There
are lots of protocols and common policies which have been adopted. The declaration
of Heads of State to strive for parity between men and women in all state institutions,
academia, and social and civil society structures is recognition that the continent
cannot reach its full potential, unless women play a central role in all decision-making
and development programmes including poverty eradication. In this context
we are honoured that the next congress of the Pan African Women's Organisation
(PAWO) will take place in South Africa later this year. The PAWO should be revitalised
to become a potent instrument for galvanising the collective energies of the women. Honourable
Members Some of the priorities for integration should be on: - Infrastructure,
transport, railroad, ICT, energy
- Agriculture, to guarantee food security
- Water
- Human resource development, education, and health
- Trade.
We have to make an effort to attract some of the skills back to Africa. In
July this year, the African Union Summit will discuss the feasibility of an African
Union government. This Grand Debate takes place in Accra during the Golden Jubilee
of Ghana's independence. A few weeks ago, in preparation for this Summit, we were
privileged to host the Retreat of Foreign Ministers in Durban We also hope
that our Parliament will hold a debate on this matter before the AU Summit. Whatever
the outcome of the debate, the most urgent task is to strengthen the capacity
of the AU and the Regional Economic Communities to implement existing decisions. Madame
Speaker The African Union took a decision in January 2006 that South Africa
should host the global Africa-African Diaspora Summit, scheduled for 2008. The
proposed theme of this Summit is: "Towards the realisation of a United and
Integrated Africa and its Diaspora" and the aim is to produce a shared vision
of sustainable development for both the African continent and the Diaspora. The
Preparatory meetings have already started in South Africa, London and Brazil.
Further meetings will take place in the USA, the Bahamas (Caribbean and Central
America) and Paris (for Europe) and Addis Ababa (for Africa) The Ministerial
Conference will take place in October this year in Durban followed by a Global
Summit of the African Diaspora Heads of State and Government in 2008. There will
be a civil society component as well. The effort by our country on behalf
of the AU is a part of our own contribution to rekindle the flames of solidarity,
inspired by the establishment of the first black republic in Haiti. As part of
our ongoing engagements with CARICOM, the AU and the UN, we will continue to monitor
political developments in Haiti. Madame Speaker This year is also
the 90th birthday of that "giant who strode the globe like a colossus",
Comrade Oliver Reginald Tambo (Nelson Mandela at the funeral of OR Tambo). In
1986, in his address to the Non-Aligned Movement in Harare, OR Tambo said that: "between
our people there exist indissoluble bonds of common purpose born of the same heritage
of suffering under the yoke of apartheid colonialism and racist oppression."
These indissoluble bonds keep us together in order to: - best
serve the needs of our people and countries we need to work as one:
- use
our collective muscle in the interest of all our peoples
- develop African
natural resources together
- unite for our collective defence and to implement
a shared vision of enduring peace together
These bonds should bind
us together in the implementation of NEPAD. We therefore welcome the imminent
launch of the Pan African Infrastructure Investment Fund, at the behest of our
own President Thabo Mbeki, which will take place on the margins of the AU Summit
in Accra, Ghana, in July this year. Madame Speaker South Africa participated
in the 24th France-Africa Summit held in Cannes in February where discussions
were centred on Africa's strategic importance to the world. South Africa
will participate in the G8 Summit which will take place in Germany in June both
as part of the 5 Outreach partners (and the Chair of the AU) as well as part of
the African NEPAD leaders. Germany's use of its G8 Presidency in 2007 is
to continue the fight against poverty in Africa. Chancellor Angela Merkel's commitment,
that the Summit will examine economic growth, governance, energy and the environment
in Africa, is encouraging. The Summit will also look at partnerships on reforms
and economic growth; promotion of private investments and medical schemes and
HIV/Aids. Together with other founding NEPAD countries and the Chair of
AU, we will take this opportunity to assess how far the Gleneagles commitments
of 2005 have been implemented. Madame Speaker The European Union approved
a strategy for Africa that will guide its relationship with the continent for
the coming years. However, this high-level policy process did not evolve
through rigorous consultation with African governments or civil society. We are
encouraged that this major defect is being corrected and consultations with the
AU are taking place so that a joint strategy can emerge. This new strategy will
be adopted at the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon envisaged for later this year. We
reaffirm our commitment to consolidating bilateral relations with countries of
the North in a manner supportive of the advancement of the interests and needs
of the continent. In this context, on 14 May this year, our relations with the
EU were elevated to a higher level. We have agreed on a Plan of Action to establish
a strategic partnership. This SA / EU partnership is premised on an expansion
of areas of co-operation guided by the principle of adding value to the existing
framework in the Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement. It also includes: - Elevation
of the dialogue between SA and EU to Summit level with the 1st Summit envisaged
for 2008;
- The holding of SA/EU Ministerial Troika meetings twice a year
alternating between our country and the EU - the next of which is planned for
October 2007 in this country; and
- Ensuring that the SA/EU strategic partnership
is supportive of the EU/Africa engagement and acts in support of the regional
harmonisation and integration of the entire Continent.
South Africa
continues to expand its interests in the North and to exploit the opportunities
that exist for increasing trade and investment links and nurturing an environment
that is more conducive to partnerships, which are to our mutual benefit. Madame
Speaker As regards the African Peer Review Mechanism, we look forward to
the forthcoming meeting in Ghana where the final country review report of South
Africa is to be tabled to the African Peer Review Forum of Heads of State. At
the regional level, South Africa is contributing towards the SADC Common Agenda
especially on matters of integration. Negotiations on the SADC Customs Union and
the future of SACU are work in progress. Madame Speaker The continent
has recently seen elections held in Senegal, Lesotho, Mali and Nigeria. As we
speak today, our President is attending the inauguration of His Excellency, President
Omaru Y'aradua of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is historical in that
it is the first time that this important African country sees a transition from
one civilian government to another. We therefore recommit our country to work
closely with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as part of our efforts aimed at the
regeneration of our continent. South Africa continues to contribute toward
post-conflict reconstruction and development in the DRC. It is our belief that
the road to sustainable development in the DRC depends on national reconciliation.
Only as a united nation will the people of the DRC be able to deal successfully
with the challenges of sustainable development.
The Extraordinary Summit
of SADC in Dar-es-Salaam mandated President Thabo Mbeki to facilitate dialogue
between the government and the opposition in Zimbabwe and report back to the troika
on progress. The success of President Mbeki's facilitation largely depends on
the political will of the Zimbabwean government and opposition political parties
to take Zimbabwe out of this crisis. We call on the international community to
support President Mbeki and SADC in these efforts. In Sudan, we urge the
implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and for the donors to fulfil
their commitment. We call for the speedy implementation of the heavy support package
for the AU Mission in Darfur. We also urge all parties to resolve all outstanding
issues around the UN-AU Hybrid force in order to end the humanitarian crises.
The capacity building project with Southern Sudan is continuing. South Africa
also continues to support peace efforts in Cote d'Ivoire, stabilisation efforts
in Western Sahara as well as strengthening our bilateral relations with other
African countries. South Africa is still involved with the Comoros in their
effort to consolidate their democracy and deal with post-conflict and development
challenges. We endorse the Pact on Peace, Security, Stability and Development
signed by leaders of the Great Lakes Region. These countries have resolved to
put in place mechanisms that will not only ensure the peaceful resolution of conflict,
but also look beyond to reconstruction and development. We equally support
the efforts of the UN Peace Building Commission, which attempts to co-ordinate
efforts of the international community in post-conflict reconstruction in countries
emerging from conflict such as in Burundi and Sierra Leone. Madame Speaker Whilst
acknowledging the huge responsibility accompanying our two-year non-permanent
seat, we pledged to work with all members of the Security Council, relevant non-Council
members and regional organisations in pursuit of peace and stability in all regions
of the world. The Security Council is required to act on behalf of the member
states in a manner that is consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the
Charter of the UN. The Charter in Article 24 confers on the Council primary responsibility
for the maintenance of international peace and security. Furthermore the
Charter under Article 39 the Charter determines that action by the Security Council
is reserved for situations where there "is a threat to peace, a breach of
peace or an act of aggression". This was a careful division of labour allowing
the UNSC to deal with matters of international peace and security. The General
Assembly is intended to deal with other matters. It is worth noting that
the balance of forces within this body favours the P5 which wield the right of
veto. It is therefore no co-incidence that some members of the P5 would have more
interest to take issues of importance to them to the UNSC. The UN General
Assembly is the most representative and democratic organ of the UN, where each
member state participates, guided by the principle of sovereign equality of states
and here the balance of forces does not favour any member. On the other hand,
in the UNSC, some members of the P5 tend to want to encroach on mandates of other
organs that fall under the General Assembly if they do not get what they want. Our
interventions in the Security Council have been - and will continue to be - informed
by a desire to serve the interests of the African continent and the developing
world in particular; and the global community in general to make a direct contribution
to the work of the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security.
We are guided in our interventions by the need to respect the mandates
of the respective UN organs and independent multilateral bodies and to uphold
international law, including international humanitarian law. We have done
well so far and, despite enormous challenges ahead, South Africa stands ready
to continue making a case for Africa, the developing world and for sustainable
global peace and security, for the sake of present and future generations. South
Africa has therefore been particularly active on African issues before the Council.
We have also been instrumental in the adoption of Council decisions endorsing
peace agreements and in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement in Côte
d'Ivoire and assisting Rwanda to secure its long-standing objective of lifting
the arms embargo against it. South Africa will co-lead a Security Council
mission to Sudan and Ethiopia and participate in its mission to Côte d'Ivoire
and Ghana in June 2007. This will be an opportunity for the Council to assess
conditions at first hand and to hold intensive discussions with the African Union
and the parties to the conflicts in Sudan and Côte d'Ivoire. During
our Presidency of the UN Security Council in March 2007, South Africa re-introduced
the theme of the relationship between the UN and regional organisations. We
were pleased with the outcome of the debate because, at the conclusion, the Security
Council adopted a Presidential Statement (PRST) that required the Secretary-General
to provide a report, in consultation with the AU, on specific proposals on how
the UNSC could foster closer collaboration and deepen its partnership with regional
organisations, in particular the AU. In our recent address to the United
Nations Security Council during this debate, we said that South Africa believes
that the time has come to look into ways of strengthening this relationship, in
line with the decision of the AU Summit in January this year. We also reminded
the Council that the Summit of the AU had called upon the United Nations "to
examine, within the context of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, the possibility
of funding, through assessed contributions, peacekeeping operations undertaken
by the African Union or under its authority with the consent of the United Nations." South
Africa will therefore continue to pursue this initiative on the relationship between
the UN and regional organisations throughout its tenure of the Security Council. Another
successful initiative taken during our Presidency was to persuade the Council
to adopt a statement on the role of women in the maintenance of international
peace and security to mark International Women's Day. This was the first time
since the adoption of resolution 1325 in 2000 that the Council was called upon
to take a formal decision related to the situation of women under armed conflict.
The South African statement was also significant in that it addressed the role
of women in a comprehensive manner, recognising that women are peacemakers, political
leaders and business people, rather than just victims of conflict. South
Africa is the lead nation on Timor-Leste and we are proud that we can use our
membership of the UNSC to help our sister peoples of Timor-Leste in their journey
towards democracy and stability in their country. As part of our responsibility
in this regard we managed to send an observer team to the recent Presidential
elections in Timor-Leste. Our team concurred with the observations of the rest
of the international community that these elections were indeed free and fair.
In
articulating positions on global peace and security we continue to draw lessons
from our Constitution which seeks to promote a culture of human rights and inculcate
democratic principles. We are also guided by a number of principles enshrined
in international law. It is our experience that in certain instances, we make
choices when equally important principles stand against each other.
Our
own national experience has also taught us the value of seeking negotiated solutions
to problems, no matter how intractable they may at first seem, and of engaging
all relevant role players in a dialogue. This thinking greatly influenced
our voting patterns over the past four months at the UNSC. Emerging from
this brief experience at the UNSC, we think the principles behind our positions
should have been conveyed more robustly from the outset. Looking ahead,
we will once again be faced with the difficult task of taking positions on a range
of complex challenges facing the Security Council and explaining those positions
to the South African public and an international audience. These include the proposal
by the UN Secretary-General's Envoy to grant Kosovo "supervised independence"
without the consent of Serbia and another proposal to impose the formation of
an international tribunal on Lebanon to prosecute those suspected of involvement
in the assassination of prominent Lebanese leaders. We are engaging in an exhaustive
consultation process with all relevant parties to ensure that we have the best
possible basis for taking an informed, independent and principled position on
these issues. With greater vigour we shall re-ignite the debate on the
reform of the United Nations and all its institutions including the Security Council,
and also enter into strategic alliances with member countries from different regions
as a way of amplifying our voice, that of Africa and the developing countries
in the UN. The United Nations Human Rights Council Honourable members
will be aware that South Africa was also elected as a member of the newly established
UN Human Rights Council. As founding members of this multilateral body, we are
contributing in shaping the international human rights agenda. Our participation
at this level is informed by our foreign policy objectives predicated on the need
for developing an agenda responsive to the needs of the poor, mainstreaming gender
issues and the further empowerment of women. An agenda which affirms the inextricability
of economic, social and cultural rights on the one hand and civil and political
rights on the other. The Middle East At the request of the UN, we
recently hosted the UN Conference of African Solidarity with Palestine that was
attended by both Palestinian and Israeli politicians, academics and a range of
delegates from governments and civil society. The conference called for the ending
of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority and the resumption of dialogue
between Palestine and Israel. Yet in recent weeks, violence has again erupted
between Palestinians and Israelis. We call on both parties to cease hostilities
and allow for the resumption of negotiation processes. The situation in
Lebanon also warrants attention. We call upon the leadership of Lebanon across
divides to come together to reach amicable solutions to the problems besetting
this country. Madame Speaker South-South relations More than
fifty years ago African and Asian leaders met in Bandung and sought greater co-operation
and unity. In recent years and in the spirit of internationalism and solidarity,
our two continents, representing over 100 countries, formed the New Africa Asia
Strategic Partnership (NAASP). At the first summit, South Africa was chosen
as Co-chair along with Indonesia. We are currently preparing towards a NAASP Ministerial
meeting to be held early next year in preparation for the Summit to be held in
South Africa in 2009. To further consolidate South South relations and
in pursuit of sustained economic development and enhanced co-operation on multilateral
issues, India-Brazil-South Africa, (IBSA) will hold the second IBSA Summit in
October this year. These initiatives further strengthen south-south co-operation
and the noble objectives of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the G77+China. South
Africa pursues a one China policy like the majority of African countries. As regards
Sino-African relations, we have seen that China-Africa trade has tripled in five
years and that China's resource and energy needs, among others, have certainly
contributed to the economic growth of the African continent by boosting prices
and exports. We view our relations with China as a very strong historical
and strategic engagement, as was evident in the State Visit of President Hu Jintao
earlier this year. In this year, we are adding more substance to this relationship,
through creating a sustained comprehensive strategy, especially as we celebrate
the first ten years of bilateral diplomatic relations, details of which we shall
announce later. We need to identify opportunities presented by the rapidly
expanding Chinese economy, examine complementaries of our economies and ensure
mutual benefits. In this regard, we believe that among other important structures,
the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation in particular should be effectively utilized
as a platform for discussions, alignment and agreements on NEPAD and Africa's
developmental agenda. The November 2006 Beijing Action Plan (2007-2009) should
also serve as a foundation from which the strategic partnership can be further
strengthened. In an endeavour to actively promote South-South relations,
South Africa remains strongly committed to expanding its bilateral ties with countries
in South America and the Caribbean. In the context of the African agenda, the
constructive outcome of the South America - Africa Conference held in Nigeria
in November 2006 was particularly encouraging. Iran The evolving confrontation
between the big powers and Iran over its peaceful use of nuclear energy has escalated
in recent months and the matter has effectively been shifted to the UNSC from
the IAEA Board of Governors. The most recent report by the Director General
of the IAEA of 23 May 2007 to both the IAEA Board of Governors and the UNSC confirms,
as was expected, that Iran has not suspended its nuclear enrichment related activities
and continued to expand them. The report also notes that the Agency is able to
verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran. This would
in effect mean that the international community would have no authoritative and
verified information about the precise scale and nature of Iran's nuclear programme.
Thus, with Iran restricting its co-operation, the Agency concludes in the latest
report that "the level of knowledge of certain aspects of Iran's nuclear
activities has deteriorated." If this process continues, the Agency and the
international community will inevitably have increasingly deteriorating information
about that programme. At every point we have called for dialogue and negotiations
and in the current crisis encourage all parties to spare no effort to seek a comprehensive
and sustainable solution. South Africa will continue to encourage all the
parties concerned to enter into dialogue and negotiations in order to seek a comprehensive
and sustainable solution. South Africa and the international community do
not wish to see Iran develop nuclear weapons and also do not wish to see war over
Iran's nuclear programme: it is therefore imperative that the international community
rises to this challenge and, through innovative leadership that sees the bigger
picture, finds an early solution to the growing crisis which could deteriorate
sharply and result in a major catastrophe that would be disastrous for all concerned. Just
over a week ago, we participated in the first preparatory meeting for the 2010
NPT Review Conference and called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons as
a major contribution to non-proliferation. We also insisted, as before, that developing
countries, including South Africa, cannot be denied their right to peaceful nuclear
technology as provided for in the NPT. Madam Speaker The challenge
for us now is to build a South Africa and an Africa that can withstand the ravages
of time - an Africa for tomorrow - for the youth of today and for future generations.
We need to be able to imagine this great continent 40 years from now. We
need to ask ourselves: what does this mean for the future, for Africa's future?
How do we make this abundance of human capital the possibility of our own success
coupled with our abundance of natural resources which surpasses those of other
continents and will still do so in the future. A united Africa and Diaspora
could best meet the needs of their own people; hence the importance of current
debates. A common bond and not bondage should bring us together, true to the words
of Nkrumah and to our own struggle for liberation: "Divided we fall,
United we stand!" Our role in international affairs has been growing
and the nature of international relations is getting more complex. We face the
challenge of using the breakthroughs we have made to turn them into opportunities
to help to address poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment. A key challenge,
as we do so, is that of co-ordination of our international work. This will assist
with international work in all three spheres of government as well as maximise
the impact of our interventions. Madame Speaker In order to assist
with eradicating poverty and ensuring sustainable economic development, an important
task of the Department of Foreign Affairs is economic diplomacy. Consequently
and necessarily our work in the international arena has to leverage possibilities
to address this challenge. Over the years we have expanded our missions,
giving us the ability to build strategic partnerships to diversify our trade,
to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and to facilitate investment opportunities
for South African companies especially on the African continent. These interventions
have contributed to the positive economic environment, which we now enjoy. An
important element of this is the growing importance of our country as a resource
of FDI to our continent. We must never underestimate this contribution to the
project of the African renaissance. Of course we all have heard the sometimes
negative feedback on the conduct of some of the investors. But let us not lose
sight of the fact that the dominant picture is a positive one. We should sustain
these efforts whilst rectifying any shortcomings. This is critical to our country
playing its historic role as one of the locomotives on our continent. A
second area of growing importance is the growing contribution of economic activity
with other countries of the South to the overall economic profile of our country.
This diversification results in greater robustness and enhanced ability
to withstand shocks in different areas of the world economy. In addition
to the effort we are putting in our interaction with such major emerging economies
as China, Brazil and India, we are giving greater focus to the countries of the
Middle East, particularly the GCC, ASEAN and Japan. This is the context
to our government's recent engagement with such countries as Saudi Arabia and
Vietnam. This does not diminish the need for continued consolidation of growth
in our traditional partners in the North, particularly the EU, US and Japan, which
continue to account for a greater part of our total trade and source of FDI. We
continue to make progress with the opening of Missions. In the last financial
year we have established an additional four diplomatic Missions in West and Central
Africa; Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe. We are now
hard at work with opening missions in Benin, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania during
this financial year. We spend a lot on rentals in places where we are literally
permanently represented. Against this backdrop, we have taken a decision to scale
up our acquisitions. In conclusion, I would like to express my profound
gratitude to President Thabo Mbeki for his leadership and Deputy President Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka and the Cabinet for their support. My appreciation also goes
to my cabinet colleagues especially those in the IRPS cluster for their support.
A special thanks also goes to the Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign
Affairs, Mr Job Sithole and to the members of this Committee for their guidance
and responsiveness. May I also take this opportunity to thank Deputy Minister
Aziz Pahad and Deputy Minister Sue van der Merwe for their excellent contributions
and for devoting so much energy, insight and intellect in assisting with creating
a better life for all in our country, continent and world as a whole. I
wish to extend a special word of appreciation to the DG - Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba,
senior management of the Department, our Ambassadors and High Commissioners who
have spent sleepless nights on new tasks and making our dreams come true. They
have done us proud in advancing South African positions under difficult circumstances;
and as a consequence, our country is regarded as an important role-player championing
the cause of Africa's development, working towards peace and dialogue and for
a more inclusive world. Madame Speaker It is our hope and wish that
the house will approve our Budget vote for 2007-2008. I thank you. Issued
by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001 29
May 2007 | 
