Notes following briefing by Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad, 05 February 2007 Union Buildings, Tshwane

SECURITY COUNCIL WORKPLAN: FEBRUARY 2007

AFRICA
Chad / Central African Republic / The Sudan

Cross-border issues in West Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo - MONUC, and sanctions

Somalia

The Sudan - UNMIS, Darfur

AMERICAS
Haiti - MINUSTAH

ASIA
The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

Timor-Leste - UNMIT

EUROPE
Kosovo - future status

OTHER
Non-proliferation - Iran

As the Co-ordinator of the Non-Aligned Movement Security Council Caucus for January and February 2007, South Africa should consult regularly with the NAM on issues of importance to the Movement and convene meetings of the Caucus, as the need arises.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has been invited to attend a thematic debate on Security Sector Reform, which will be hosted by Slovakia during its Presidency of the Council on 21 February 2007.

Subsidiary Bodies of the Security Council: South Africa's Obligations:
South Africa will:
Chair the Somalia Monitoring Group
South Africa will be one of three vice-chairs of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).
Co-chair the Ad Hoc Committee on Mandate Review with Slovakia.
Vice-chair the Côte d' Ivoire and Liberia Sanctions Committees.
Is the lead nation on Timor-Leste

South Africa will chair the Council in March 2007.

RESTRUCTURING OF UN DEPARTMENTS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will hold talks this week with Member States about his plans to restructure the political and security departments of the United Nations Secretariat to ensure they are as effective as possible at delivering their mandated programmes and handling any other challenges.

At Mr Ban's request, Sheikha Haya, President of the General Assembly, has held talks with NAM, the Group of 77 developing countries and China, the EU, the African Group and CANZ, a grouping that comprises Canada, Australia and New Zealand. She has also met the US, Russia, China, Japan, Norway, Mexico and Switzerland individually.

"The Secretary-General is concerned about the need to strengthen the capacities of the Organisation to cope with the increased scope of activities in the area of peace and security, as well as to advance the disarmament agenda."

RESOLUTION ON THE HOLOCAUST
The General Assembly adopted by consensus on 26 January 2007 the resolution on "Holocaust Denial."

The UN declared the 27th January 2007 as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of victims of the Holocaust.

South Africa supported this resolution. What happened under the Nazi regime can never be justified. We are consistently of the view that this resolution should ensure that we never again experience the spectre of fascism and discrimination in its many forms.

AFRICAN UNION
As you are aware, from the 28th-30th January 2007, Ethiopia hosted meetings of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee, the African Peer Review Forum of Heads of State and Government and the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

It is surprising that some of the international and our own media wrote of "no progress", "failure," "bloodletting on issue of chairmanship of the AU," and "Mbeki stalls APRM Review," etc.

Let's look at what really happened.

African Peer Review Mechanism
The Mail & Guardian on Friday 2 February 2007 reports: "…uncertainty lingers over what transpired during Sunday's Forum … but a person speaking on conditions of anonymity said that the strategic partners (UNDP, UNECA, and the African Bank) were excluded but could not confirm rumours that South Africa asked for the report to be removed."

If there is uncertainly and the "deep-throat" could not confirm things and the fact that the journalist writes that "the Public Service and Administration Department has reportedly said the government submitted a revised programme of Action on January 15, but on Sunday the old programme of action was including among the documents for Mbeki's presentation."

Why then, on the basis of uncertainty and "non-confirmation" the failure to check with the DPSA about what they reportedly said can he conclude that "President Mbeki stalled South Africa's self-assessment process under the APRM for 6 months citing technical reasons" and "Mbeki's intervention reflects the government's gradual take over of a programme that was initially promoted as a collective effort and when the APRM rules say they we independent."

What are the facts?
South Africa is one of the main architects of the APRM process and will defend the APRM objectives and processes as far as we can.

We also made an important contribution to the Constitutive Act of the AU which places great emphasis on democracy, protection of human rights and good governance.

Therefore, we have no interest in "stalling" or sabotaging the presentation of the APRM report or the processes of the APRM.

Decision on APRM
During the 6th African Peer Review Forum (APRF) it was agreed that South Africa would be peer-reviewed during the 7th APRF in July 2007 as the report that was circulated to Heads of State and Government was a draft country report and not the official report. Presenting this report would set a bad precedent to the Peer Review Mechanism process and would therefore weaken the processes. South Africa will now be reviewed together with Algeria and Nigeria at the next APRF. There was no attempt to sabotage or stall the process.

The HSGIC elected President Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia as Chairman of the NEPAD Heads of State and Implementation Committee (HSGIC) effective from May 2007.

Chair of the African Union
As we said last week, the African Union Heads of State and Government had the experience to deal with this matter without interference.

Indeed, the Heads of State, considering the 50th Anniversary of the independence of Ghana, declared it a watershed moment in Africa's history, giving impetus to the process of decolonisation on the continent and engendering a renewed sense of a common African destiny.

When it considered the issue of who should serve as the 2007 Chair of the AU, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government made the determination that it should elect President John Kufuor of Ghana to this important and prestigious position. This was a unanimous decision, that was proposed, among others, by President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. The AU felt that everything should be done to commemorate the historic independence of Ghana in 1957. The decision taken by the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, concerning who should chair the Union during 2007, had absolutely nothing to do with humiliating or rejecting Sudan and President Omar al-Bashir.

The 2007 Addis Ababa Assembly paid particular attention to the critical issue of Africa's involvement in the development of science and technology, resulting in the adoption of an African Indicative Plan focused on the development and application of science and technology to address our Continent's challenges, including mitigation of, and adaptation to climate change.

Security and stability: all member states of the AU committed themselves to contribute whatever they can towards the resolution of such conflicts as confront Sudan, Somalia, Côte d'Ivoire, Comoros, Guinean (Conakry), Chad and so on.

The Assembly took important decisions to assess the effectiveness of the institutions of the African Union precisely to ensure that Africa realises the faster progress that it needs to achieve.

Decision on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance
The Assembly adopted the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, reiterating its importance in the consolidation of commitments collectively taken by Member States to promote democracy and good governance on the Continent.

Decision on the Union Government
The Assembly committed itself to the idea of the Union Government and agreed
to dedicate the next Summit in Accra, Ghana, to debate on the issue.

South Africa will host a meeting of African Foreign Ministers in April 2007 to deliberate on this matter ahead of the Summit discussions.

Decision on Climate Change and Development in Africa
The Assembly endorsed the Action Plan entitled "Climate Information for Development Needs: an Action Plan for Africa - Report and Implementation Strategy".

It is now increasingly evident that Africa will suffer the most from climate change processes and this matter must therefore be placed high on Africa's agenda.

Declaration of the 8th Assembly of the AU Heads of State and Government on the International Year of African Football and Ushering in the 2010 World Cup as an African Event
Through this Declaration, the Assembly launched 2007 as the International Year of African Football and mandated the Commission, in collaboration with Member States, to develop a Programme of Activities to mark it. The Commission was further mandated to organise a conference of Ministers of Sports to provide leadership to the organisation of activities marking the International Year of African Football and to elaborate concrete activities in connection with the 2010 World Cup.

The Assembly reaffirmed their commitment to make the 2010 World Cup a truly African World Cup by committing their countries to full and substantive involvement in the preparations leading to the World Cup and urged the CAF, FIFA, the international sports community and friends of Africa to lend their support.
The Assembly committed itself to provide all-round support to the Government and people of South Africa in their efforts to organise the 2010 World Cup tournaments successfully and effectively.

Member States were urged to develop national programmes and identify suitable African Union Sport Ambassadors to work closely with the Commission in the implementation of the International Year of African Football "Sports for All" Programmes and 2010 Soccer World Cup African Legacy Programme.

Declaration on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) Negotiations
The Assembly endorsed the Addis Ababa Ministerial Declaration of 16 January 2007 on EPA negotiations and requested the AU Ministers of Trade and Africa's negotiators to remain vigilant and steadfast in the remaining stages of the negotiations.

Declaration on WTO Negotiations
In this Declaration the Assembly expressed deep concern and disappointment at the stalling of the negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and called for a prompt resumption and a speedy and successful conclusion of the Doha Round. The Assembly reiterated its position that any outcome of the current round of WTO negotiations that fails to adequately deliver on the development promises of the DDA will be unacceptable to Africa.

Declaration on Climate Change and Development in Africa
The Assembly made the above Declaration committing themselves to continue to urge countries that have yet to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to do so and committed to themselves to build capacity and strengthen the effective participation of African countries in the negotiations on the future of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol processes.

The Assembly called for the streamlining of the Global Environment Fund (GEF) to include the vulnerability index in the Resource Allocation Framework formula in order to ease African Countries' access to the GEF. The Assembly also committed to foster and strengthen cooperation between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, Regional Climate Centres and RECs on matters of climate variability and change.

In this Declaration the Assembly demands that developed countries undertake and meet their mitigation commitments as provided for in the UNFCCC and requests the Commission to consult with the African Ministerial Conference on the environment with the view to establishing the necessary mechanisms to follow up the implementation of this Declaration, evaluate the progress towards the attainment of its objective and report biannually to the Summit as appropriate.

Given the scope and depth of issues tackled, it is difficult to understand why some in the media believe the Summit failed.

Peace and Stability Issues
SUDAN
The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) announced on 26 January 2007 the killing of an Indian peacekeeper and the wounding of two others in an attack by unknown gunman during an escort of a de-mining team in Southern Sudan.

The Government of Southern Sudan has announced the establishment of an independent commission to investigate corruption in the highly autonomous regional government. The commission will focus on the awarding of government tenders since 2005.

Darfur Situation
The Darfur situation continues to be a matter of great concern to us in Africa and the rest of the international community.

Rebel forces, particularly the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction that did not sign the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) has issued a press statement accusing the government of launching attacks against villages in eastern Jebel Mara and Al Rokino area in Darfur. On 28 January 2007, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Alpha Konare demanded the Government of Sudan (GOS) to stop bombardments and massacres in Darfur in his opening address of the AU Summit.

The National Redemption Front (NRF - a coalition of rebel forces in Darfur that did not sign the DPA) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) are preparing to hold a meeting in Yei, Southern Sudan. The meeting will afford the Darfur rebels the opportunity to find agreement on common political objectives on the issues that need attention during the forthcoming talks with the GOS (the date for the talks has not been set yet). The Chairman of the SPLM/A, Salva Kiir will participate in the meeting.

A delegation of International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators has arrived in Khartoum on a fact finding mission on the national proceedings related to Darfur crimes. The aim of the team is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Special Criminal Courts on Darfur established by the GOS and investigations carried out by the GOS. The Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moren-Ocampo has stated that the submission of the first Darfur case to the ICC Judges is pending the report of the abovementioned fact finding mission. In response to the visit by the ICC fact finding mission, the Sudan Justice Minister has stated that the Sudan can do a better job prosecuting crimes in Darfur.

Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Peace Talks
The Eastern Equatorial Parliament expressed concern over insecurity posed by the LRA presence in that state. The Eastern Equatorial Parliament complained that about 150 forces of the LRA are occupying part of the state and harvesting crops of the locals.

UN Secretary-General's Report on the Sudan to the Security Council (25 January 2007)
While the parties have achieved significant progress in implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, much remains to be done if they are to establish an inclusive and constitutional democracy in which unity is made attractive to voters in Southern Sudan. I am concerned that the "spirit of Naivasha", which resulted in a historic agreement two years ago, has been somewhat elusive, especially in recent months, and that the consensus created by the accords has been overshadowed by distrust and uncertainty.

Mistrust between the parties remains a serious obstacle, potential spoilers still exist and the war in Darfur has diverted international attention and support from implementation of the Agreement. Peace in Southern Sudan needs renewed and sustained attention. The coming year should be a year of increased focus on the Agreement to protect the gains made so far and to give the Sudan a stable basis on which to move forward.

Both parties must cease using militias as proxy forces and make the integration of other armed groups a top priority. The parties should establish the ad hoc incorporation and reintegration committees provided for in the Agreement and work in earnest through the Other Armed Groups Collaborative Committee and the National Council for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Coordination for the integration or demobilization of all armed militias.

I urge the parties to begin in earnest the demarcation of the 1 January 1956 border and to agree the status of Abyei. If the border issue is not resolved expeditiously, it might be difficult to verify full redeployment in July 2007. The international community should provide financial and technical support to the technical ad hoc border committee.

Despite the public airing of disagreements during the celebrations marking the second anniversary of the Agreement, there seems to be a generally improved partnership in recent weeks between NCP and SPLM, which has enabled progress on important areas, like the National Petroleum Commission. However, the parties still appear reluctant to tackle resolutely difficult issues in the institutions provided for in the Agreement, preferring instead to resort to informal discussions. More must be done to improve transparency in political decision-making and to improve the capacity of all parties to participate in the political process. Donor support in building the capacity of political parties and parliamentary institutions will also remain essential.

The enactment of electoral legislation and the establishment of the Electoral Commission are long overdue.

After the signing of the Agreement, it is particularly crucial to provide tangible benefits of peace to the people of the Sudan. In its resolution 1590 (2005), the Security Council urged rapid delivery of an assistance package for the reconstruction and economic development of the Sudan. In practice, progress has been slower than expected, especially in Southern Sudan.

International concern with Darfur has diverted significant attention, as well as human and financial resources, away from implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. In this respect, Darfur is not just a human tragedy, it also reflects negatively on the central precept of the Agreement, that Sudanese unity should be made attractive to Southern Sudanese voters. The longer the conflict drags on, the harder it will be to persuade the Southern Sudanese that their best interests lie within a united Sudan.

IGAD plans to convene a major meeting to assess implementation of the Agreement in July 2007.

Secretary-General's meeting with President El-Bashir in Addis Ababa
In Darfur the security situation remains extremely volatile, as civilian populations continue to be targeted in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. While fighting has continued amid shifting factional allegiances, efforts to conclude local ceasefire arrangements were undermined by continued aerial bombardment of rebel positions by the Government. Violence also surged along the Chad-Sudan border, as Chadian armed opposition groups launched attacks from Darfur into Chad. Meanwhile, implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement made only halting progress.

UNMIS is working to finalize the implementation of the "light support package" of assistance to the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS). The first part of a three-phase approach that will culminate in a hybrid African Union/United Nations mission in Darfur, the package includes United Nations military and police advisory personnel, as well as material and equipment for AMIS. On 26 December, the tripartite mechanism established by the United Nations, the African Union, and the Government of National Unity to facilitate implementation of the three-phase approach resolved several outstanding issues, including the attire of United Nations military and police personnel deployed under the light support package, who will wear their national uniforms, blue berets and African Union armbands.

The United Nations and the African Union held a final round of consultations in Khartoum from 18 to 20 January to finalize the "heavy support package", the second step of the three-phase approach. The package, which includes a range of force enablers, three formed police units, civilian personnel and mission support items, was transmitted to President Al-Bashir on 24 January in separate letters from African Union Chairperson Konaré and the Secretary-General. The African Union and the United Nations held additional consultations from 22 to 24 January on their hybrid operation.

In a statement the Secretary-General said he, "met with President Omer Al-Bashir of Sudan for about one and half hours to discuss in a useful and constructive manner political and security developments in Sudan and in particular in Darfur.
They agreed to accelerate joint African Union-United Nations efforts for the political process and the preparation for a peacekeeping mission, based on the Abuja and Addis Ababa agreements. President El-Bashir reiterated his Government's commitment to implement these agreements.
The Secretary-General reiterated the UN's strong commitment to the political process in Sudan, emphasizing the centrality of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the importance of its timely and effective implementation.
The Secretary-General has expressed deep concerns over the continuing violence and deteriorating human rights situation in Darfur, which afflicts millions of people. He urged President Al-Bashir, and all parties, to cease hostilities, as an essential foundation for a successful peace process, and humanitarian access. President Al-Bashir agreed to facilitate such access, and expressed willingness to cooperate with international efforts toward that end.
The Secretary-General stressed the urgency of a re-energized political process in Darfur. In that context, he informed President Al-Bashir that he agreed with Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare on a joint mission of my Special Envoy Jan Eliasson and AU Envoy Salim A. Salim to Khartoum and Darfur in early February to support peace-making efforts. President Al-Bashir welcomed this mission.
The Secretary-General recalled his letter of 24 January, presenting the heavy support package for peace-keeping agreed with the African Union. I look forward to a prompt and positive answer to this joint proposal. This will pave the way for the early deployment of a hybrid mission."
South Africa will intensify our efforts to support the implementation of the AU and UN resolutions regarding the hybrid force for Sudan.
SOMALIA
On 19 January 2007, the AU decided to deploy the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for a period of 6 months.

The AU has made a call to President Yusuf and his government to establish enough calm in Somalia to allow the deployment of troops in that country.

The AU Summit viewed the holding of a national reconciliation process as a requirement to restore peace, security, stability in Somalia.

On 22 January 2007, the Council of the European Union issued a press statement indicating that the EU would provide € 15 million form the African Peace Facility for the proposed peacekeeping force only if an all-inclusive political dialogue and genuine reconciliation process is held in Somalia. This process is envisaged to include clan leaders, Islamic leaders, representatives of the business community, civil society and women, and to be held on the basis of the Transitional Federal Charter signed in 2004.

The transitional government on 30 January 2007 announced that preparations were being made for a national reconciliation conference which could establish the required calm.

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi has indicated that one-third of his troops will be withdrawing from Somalia beginning 3 February 2007 and that the remaining troops will be out within the coming weeks.

During the recent AU Summit, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi indicated that Rome was ready to host a peace conference to launch reconstruction in its former colony as soon as conditions were right. In other developments, the US expressed concern about the regrouping of terrorists in Somalia.

Recent Developments
At least three people were killed when mortar bombs and rockets fell near the presidential palace on Thursday 1 February 2007 in Mogadishu.

A Somali government source blamed the attacks on fighters form the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC): "Mortars have hit the sea port, near the presidential palace. Most of the mortars hit residential houses. It is only civilians who were affected. These people have lost any support by the terrible act tonight."

The attacks came after a protest against the deployment of foreign peacekeepers by hundreds of supporters of the Islamic Courts.

Attacks are also being carried out by warlords who did not get what they wanted from the Transitional Federal Government when it retook Mogadishu.

Addis Ababa says its mission in Somalia is complete and it wants the first African Union peacekeeping units to deploy by mid-February so their forces can withdraw.

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, seen as a potential key to reconciliation in post-war Somalia, surrendered to Kenyan authorities on the border with Somalia about 10 days ago.

He was reportedly released on Thursday 1 February 2007 and is now heading to Yemen.

Removal of Speaker
Former speaker of parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan - fired two weeks ago - has told the BBC that the election of his successor was illegal.

Mr Adan, who is currently in Djibouti, was removed for having unauthorised talks with the Islamists, who ruled much of Somalia until last month.

He had also opposed Ethiopia's military intervention to help the government drive out the Islamic group.

On 27-28 January 2007 thousands of leaflets urging residents of Mogadishu to avoid collaborating with Ethiopians or face "losing their lives and property," were distributed.

Because of increasing insecurity martial law was imposed on the country - putting all powers into the hands of the president for the next three months.

Possible Peacekeepers
Nine battalions proposed - 7600 troops

Uganda 1500 troops offered subject to parliamentary approval
Nigeria troops offered
Ghana troops offered
Burundi 1000 troops offered
Malawi considering
Benin considering
Tanzania considering
Rwanda considering
South Africa not sending troops

The UN Security Council urged the African Union on Friday 2 February 2007 to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia so that Ethiopia could withdraw its forces and the government could lift its emergency security measures.

The 15-nation UN Council also backed the rapid deployment of a UN technical assistance mission to Somalia to make recommendations on future security needs.

However, the Council of Islamic Court soldiers say they oppose African peacekeepers.

Some of the Islamic Courts vowed to conduct a long guerrilla war against the government.

The Security Council underlined the urgency of its deployment in order to help create the conditions for the withdrawal of all other foreign forces from Somalia and the uplifting of emergency security measures currently in place.

The country has been in chaos since 1991.

A team of UN officials would meet the AU this week to discuss how it could help get the AU force up and running, said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.

The Security Council emphasized the importance of political dialogue and inclusiveness among all Somalia's political factions.

Democratic Republic of Congo
Following the appointment of the Prime Minister designate, Mr Antoine Gizenga, there has been anticipation of the announcement of the new government. It is of utmost importance that the new Ministers and deputies be announced as soon as possible to enable the country to continue with its reconstruction and development projects.

Elections of Governors have been marred by candidates accusing the opposition-dominated provincial assemblies in Kinshasa and Bas-Congo of having elected members of the ruling party - the AMP - as governors. According to "Union for the Nation" (UN) members, the members of the provincial assemblies must have been bribed to vote for the AMP candidates.

The election of the AMP candidates in Bas Congo has led to the eruption of violence in the province. There have been violent riots in the three main towns of the Bas-Congo province, Matadi, Boma and Mwanda, by opposition supporters protesting against the results of governorship polls. The violent nature of the protests is a matter for concern. The results of the elections of Governors and Vice-Governors were a general surprise as the AMP candidates in both Kinshasa and Bas-Congo were elected. This is seen against the fact that the UN of Jean-Pierre Bemba held the majority of seats in the provincial legislatures of both provinces and the party's candidates were thus convinced of their victory.

Security Situation
UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) spokesman Kemal Saiki said, "The overall situation remains calm."

"MONUC remains worried by the behaviour of certain elements of the Congolese armed forces who, despite calls for discipline, continue to harass and terrorise the civilian population."

MONUC's main military concern is Ituri, due to the slow progress of demobilisation and the activities of the local warlord Peter Karim and his militia, the Front des Nationalistes and Integrationnistes (FNI).

MONUC military spokesman Lt-Col Didier Rancher said "he is a vestige of the past … a veritable dinosaur whose FNI has reneged on all promises of joining in the demobilisation process."

"Instead, incidents with civilians around Fataki took place, including rape and other intolerable violations. All outstretched hands, all offers of dialogue from the Government, helped by MONUC have failed with Peter Karim, who resembles a museum piece in his refusal to join the demobilisation process."

In South Kivu province during the past week, clashes occurred between army troops and a hundred partisans of the so-called Moramvia Group.

In North Kivu province, skirmishes occurred between army troops and deserters refusing to reintegrate due to unfounded fears over their families."

UN peacekeepers have deployed in the western province of the DRC after more than 70 people were killed in the worst political violence since last year's landmark elections.

Violence began after Jean-Pierre Bemba accused followers of President Kabila of buying local assembly members' votes for governors and senators.

President Kabila's Alliance of the Presidential Majority (AMP) won six of the nine governorships, while Bemba's coalition won only one, in this home province of Equateur.

Bemba's Union of the Nation coalition failed to win the governorships of Kinshasa and Bas-Congo, where he has a visible popular following.

"One of the things we condemn is the loss of life," said Kemal Saiki, spokesperson for 17000 strong UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC).

"There are mechanisms to address grievances. We ask all parties to exercise restraint."

MONUC has deployed 35 armed police to Bas-Congo following attacks on two UN vehicles, Saiki said.

MIDDLE EAST
The South African government remains concerned about the volatile situation in the Middle East. In last few weeks over 80 Palestinians have been killed in the inter-Palestinian clashes.

We welcome a ceasefire agreement forged, with an Egyptian mediation: provides for withdrawal of gunmen, removing blockades, redeployment of security elements to locations they were previously stationed at, and end of tension and media campaigns in addition to a ceasefire.

The government shall undertake the responsibility of maintaining security. It demanded an immediate release of all those who were abducted from both parties, cessation of incitement and counterproductive media campaigns, and turning over elements suspected of being involved in murder to public prosecution for investigation in pursuance.

President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh demanded both Fatah and Hamas comply with the agreement and discuss pending issues in preparation for the formation of a national unity government.

However, despite the commitments, fighting continued over the weekend.

Fierce fighting between Hamas and Fatah forced the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which looks after Palestinian refugees to shut schools for some 35000 children on Saturday 3 February 2007 and suspend food delivery from its Gaza city warehouse.

UNRWA provides food to 1.1 million of the 1.4 million people who live in the Strip.

John Ging, UNRWA's director of operations in Gaza said, "We cannot deliver humanitarian services in the crossfire. We have been warning repeatedly that the situation here was heading for a social explosion - now it has come."

Statement by UN agencies including UNRWA, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNICEF on Saturday 3 February 2007:
"It is becoming extremely difficult for us to fulfil our humanitarian mandates to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The implications of this for a population already facing extreme hardship are grave."

Initiatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Delegations of Fatah and Hamas would hold an extensive dialogue on the various pending issues in the meeting anticipated to be held in Mecca. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques had invited the two factions to hold dialogue in Mecca.

The dialogue would deal with halt of infighting, formation of a national unity government, activation of the PLO and regaining its status and role as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and its higher political authority and reference.

The meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow Tuesday 6 February 2007.

Egyptian Proposal
Egyptian proposal: formation of a national army comprised of Palestinians from the various factions of the political spectrum. Several Palestinian factions have announced they welcome the Egyptian proposal.

Fatah also welcomed the proposal.

Eilat Bombing
The Eilat terror attack has no justification and is unacceptable under any circumstances - no cause can justify such an attack against innocent civilians.

We call on all parties not to be held hostage by those opposed to a political solution.

Parties must not lose focus on the key objectives: a two state solution based on 1967 borders.

Middle East Quartet Meeting on Friday 2 February 2007
Following is the text of a statement issued by the Quartet (United Nations, Russian Federation, The United States and European Union).

The Quartet Principals - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner - met today in Washington to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

The Quartet welcomed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the representative of the EU Presidency, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Recognizing the critical need to end the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, which would contribute to security and stability in the region, the Quartet pledged to support efforts to put in place a process with the goal of ending the occupation that began in 1967 and creating an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel, and reaffirmed its commitment to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on UNSCRs 242 and 338.

The Quartet expressed the hope that the result-oriented dialogue initiated between Israeli and Palestinian leaders will continue in the framework of a renewed political process with the aim of launching meaningful negotiations.

The Quartet undertook to give active follow-up to these meetings and to remain closely engaged at this moment of increased activity and dialogue. The Quartet reaffirmed its commitment to meet regularly at both the principals and envoys level according to an agreed calendar, including with the parties and other regional partners, to monitor developments and actions taken by the parties and to discuss the way ahead.

The Quartet noted its support for renewed dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian leaders and welcomed the December 23 meeting between Israeli PM Olmert and PA President Abbas, and the subsequent implementation of some steps discussed at that meeting. The Quartet urged the parties to implement fully steps discussed at the December 23 meeting, to refrain from taking any measures that could predetermine the number of issues that will be resolved in negotiations, to meet their respective obligations under phase one of the Roadmap and under the Agreement on Movement and Access, and to seek to fulfill their obligations under the Sharm el-Sheikh Understandings of 2005.

The Quartet discussed U.S. efforts to facilitate discussions between the parties. The Quartet welcomed the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Olmert, President Abbas, and Secretary of State Rice, that could begin to define more clearly the political horizon for the Palestinian people, and help engender a sense of partnership. The Quartet affirmed the primacy of the Roadmap, and welcomed U.S. efforts to accelerate progress on the Roadmap.

The Quartet noted the continuing importance of the Arab Peace Initiative, particularly its reflection of a shared commitment to a two-state solution.

The Quartet reiterated its call for an immediate and unconditional end to all acts of violence and terror. It condemned the suicide bombing in Eilat on 29 January and called once again for an immediate end to all rocket attacks against Israel.

The Quartet expressed its deep concern at the violence among Palestinians and called for respect for law and order.

The Quartet called for continued international assistance to the Palestinian people, and encouraged donors to focus on preserving and building the capacity of institutions of Palestinian governance as well as the development of the Palestinian economy. The Quartet welcomed international efforts to reform the Palestinian security sector and thus to help improve law and order for the Palestinian people. It called for the Temporary International Mechanism to be further developed to support the political process, to identify suitable projects for international support in the areas of governance, institution building and economic development, and urged other members of the international community to consider practical support to the parties.

The Quartet called for Palestinian unity in support of a government committed to nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. The Quartet reaffirmed that these principles endure. The Quartet reiterated its call for the PA government to commit to these principles.

The Quartet has to play a more dynamic and even-handed role to complete the final status solution. Failure to do so could lead to serious consequences.

The Security Council must consider how it can play a more decisive role in ending this conflict.

IRAQ
The carnage continues. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's Special Representative Ashraf Qazi, "condemned in the strongest terms the upsurge in violence in Iraq which targeted innocent civilians in popular markets and universities."

Welcoming the statement by Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani calling on all to remember the fundamental unity of Islam and the need to close ranks in deference of civilised values and the future of the country, Mr Qazi stressed the primary role of Iraqis in preventing further bloodshed.

The quarterly audit prepared by the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), Stuart Bowen Jr: "The Security situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, hindering progress in all reconstruction sectors and threatening the overall construction efforts."

"There are concerns that corruption among Iraqi officials has diverted much of these funds to fuel internal conflicts between Iraqi rivals or insurgent attacks against US and Iraqi forces."

With US$21 billion allocated to it, the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) is the largest US foreign aid project since the Marshall Plan was launched to rebuild Europe after World War II. Some 80% of the money has already been paid out, the report said.

At present, Iraqis get about three hours of electricity a day, in contrast to pre-war levels of about 20 hours per day.

The audit report said the IRRF's funds were spent as follows:
34% on security and justice
23% on trying to generate and distribute electricity
12% on water
12% on economic and social development
9% on oil and gas
4% on transportation and communications
4% on health care

The report cited an incident in which US$43.8 million was paid by the US State Department to DynCorp International to build a residential camp for trainee police in one of the former president Hussein's palaces in Baghdad.

About US$4.2 million of this money was spent improperly on 20 trailers for important visitors and an Olympic sized swimming pool.

The report also warned that soaring unemployment was contributing to the insurgency and therefore, was hampering reconstruction efforts.

LEBANON
UN investigation into assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri
The next Brammertz report is ready.

Syria will again raise the issue of the International Criminal Court instead of the proposed tribunal which the Syrians oppose on the grounds that the idea of a tribunal was introduced for political reasons.

They believe that the previous investigator, Mehlis, in the process of his investigation created a particular scenario which he had to justify by way of a tribunal.

Distinction has to be drawn between the two Chief Investigators investigation methodology saying Mehlis investigated with pre-conceived positions whereas Brammertz, who himself comes from the ICC, first set out to investigate the case before arriving at a certain position.

The Syrians are not opposed to the trial per se but would continue to raise objections around a tribunal.

KOSOVO
The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Kosovo future status process Martti Ahtisaari officially presented his proposal on the Serbian provinces final status to the Serbian government and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian-led provisional authorities on Friday 2 February 2007.

The most recent UN report said the two sides remained "diametrically opposed" in their views.

The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has run the province since 1999 when troops from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) drove out Yugoslav forces amid ethnic fighting.

After briefing Belgrade and Pristina, the envoy will then wait for feedback from the parties before sending the proposal to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who will then transmit it to the UN Security Council.

Questions and answers
Question Deputy Minister Pahad, is the South African government of the view that genocide is being committed in Darfur? Do you believe that the Chinese President, with the economic muscle China wields in Sudan, would be able to convince the government to stop such acts? Will this be discussed between Presidents Mbeki and Hu Jintao tomorrow?
Answer There are reports of genocide in Sudan although the UN has not called it a genocide and the government denies such accusations.

I suspect that the Chinese president will give his support to finding a solution to the situation in Darfur although I am not sure this will be discussed tomorrow.

Question Deputy Minister, South Africa has said that although it cannot contribute troops to Somalia, it will look at assisting in other ways. This reconciliation conference looks like a CODESA format - will this be one of the ways in which South Africa will assist?
Answer We are looking at alternate ways of assisting the UN in Somalia. However, we can only get involved if requested to by the regional grouping which is IGAD. We cannot get involved unless were are requested to do so by the regional grouping.

Question Deputy Minister Pahad, what is the position of the South African government regarding MONUC in the DRC when the matter comes before the Security Council later this month?
Answer It is our view that the withdrawal of MONUC at this stage will be premature when the processes of peace and security have not been fully consolidated. This is the situation in many areas of conflict where forces withdraw when stability has not been fully implemented and the situation again deteriorates.

Question Deputy Minister Pahad, is South Africa represented at the Conference on Child Soldiers currently underway in Paris?
Answer Minister Skweyiya is leading a delegation to the Conference.

Question Deputy Minister Pahad, you said last week that you expected more names to be listed in terms of US and UN terror lists - is there much progress in this regard?
Answer We were informed by members of the media of comments by an unnamed US official that it seemed like more South Africans would be listed.

In our consultations with the US government we would hope to ascertain these names so that we can take the appropriate action like we have with the Docrats.

Question Deputy Minister Pahad, you last week held discussions with your Syrian counterpart who had a message for President Mbeki from President Assad. Can you comment further on this?
Answer The Syrian Deputy Minister delivered a message based on strengthening our bilateral relations.

President is also requesting, that South Africa, since we have a good relationship with all roleplayers, assist in the implementation of all current peace plans. There is no new initiative to be undertaken but merely to support what is currently on the table.

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

5 February 2007