Foreign affairs deputy minister Aziz Pahad made the call today after meeting with Belgian deputy prime minister and foreign minister Louis Michel in Brussels, Belgium.
Mr Pahad’s remarks comes as the US and its alliance partners continue to setup its military presence in the Gulf region in a built-up to a military assault on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who stand accused of manufacturing weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
In a statement this afternoon, the foreign affairs department said both Mr Pahad and Mr Michel discussed the Middle East crisis and the looming showdown between US and the oil rich Arab nation.
‘The deputy minister again reiterated that attempts to resolve these situations must be carried out within the parameters of a United Nations mandate,’ said the department.
Both leaders, the department said, welcomed co-operation by the Iraqi government and urged ‘full co-operation with United Nations weapon inspectors on outstanding issues’
An expert team of weapon inspectors, led by Mr Hans Blix, is currently searching suspected Iraqi sites for WMD before presenting a detailed report to the 15-member UN Security Council next week.
Already there are fears that a showdown in the region would throw the world into war with Germany and France jointly opposing any military invasion by President George W. Bush’s administration.
White House has demanded that Mr Hussein disarm or face the military might of the US and its partners in what many believe is the US attempt to deal with what it calls ‘an axis of evil’ comprising Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
However, Mr Pahad also briefed his Belgian counterpart on the developments in the Great Lakes region, to which foreign minister Louis Michel pledged his government’s political and financial support to efforts to resolve these conflicts.
‘Discussions focused on the consolidation and advancement of the Burundi peace process and the implementation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace accord signed in South Africa in December 2002.’
Meanwhile, deputy minister Pahad will depart from Belgium for Dubai later today, on the first leg of his regional visit, which includes Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Mr Pahad’s visit forms part of his international stopovers, including making a call to the Italian government yesterday, where he met with his Italian counterpart Senator Alfredo Mantica for diplomatic talks.
The two, who sat down for mutual talks in the Italian capital Rome, also discussed the Iraqi and Middle East situation. – BuaNews
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
