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The
African agenda would, for the first time, be integrated into
all G8 deliberations when leaders of the world's eight richest
countries met in St Petersburg, Russia, on July 16 and 17, Deputy
Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday.
Pahad also announced at the media briefing at the Union Buildings
that President Thabo Mbeki would lead the South African delegation
to the G8 summit, which would be a “very important meeting
for South Africa”, as well as the rest of Africa. This was
because the African agenda would, for the first time, be brought to
a round-table discussion, in order to facilitate the continent's
development.
The outcomes of the summit would also continue to be evaluated for
their impact on the African development agenda, and other
developing countries.
This would help to ensure that the commitments made to Africa were
implemented.
“We feel this year's G8 will truly incorporate Africa's
interests,” Pahad enthused, also pointing out that World Bank
president Paul Wolfowitz had identified Africa as a top priority on
the World Bank's agenda.
Mbeki, he said, had been invited to the round-table discussion
together with the presidents of the other strategic outreach
partners, notably India, Brazil, Mexico and China.
Mbeki's place at the table had come about as a result of South
Africa's commitment to promote north-south cooperation in support
of the African agenda through the G8, as well as other
vehicles.
Mbeki and the strategic outreach partners would also hold
discussions on the margins of the G8 summit, with a view to
strengthening south-south cooperation and consolidating the
development agenda of the south.
African Union chairperson Denis Sassou-Nguesso, who was also
president of the Republic of Congo - or Congo-Brazzaville, which
should not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo -
and Khazakstan, in its capacity as chair of the Commonwealth of
Independent States, had also been invited to participate in the
outreach segment of the summit.
UN secretary general Kofi Annan and representatives of the various
international organisations, including the World Bank, United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the
International Energy Agency, were also expected to participate in
the outreach segment, which were scheduled to discuss international
energy security, education and infectious diseases.
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