Date: 28/11/2002
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs
Title: Dlamini Zuma: Ministerial Conference


OPENING STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DR DLAMINI ZUMA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2ND MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE AFRICA - EUROPE, OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, 28 November 2002

Your Excellency, Mr President, Blaise Compaore
Your Excellency, Prime Minister
Your Excellency, Minister Youssouf, Ouedraogo
Your Excellency, State Secretary, Ambassador Carsten Staur
Your Excellency, Mr Amara Essy, Interim Chair of the African Union Commission
Your Excellency, Mr Poul Nielsen, Commissioner of the European Commission Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen

First let me express our appreciation for the hospitality and for the fine arrangements and facilities put at our disposal by the Government and People of Burkina Faso.

It is almost three years since we left the eternal shores of the Nile after the historic Cairo Summit where we declared that the Europe-Africa partnership had to be given a strategic dimension and had to strengthen existing ties and should be based on a spirit of equality, respect, alliance and co-operation. This dialogue should indeed give us an opportunity at a Pan-African and European level to discuss political, socio-economic and cultural issues frankly, openly; not only human rights and good governance in Africa, but general, broad international political and economic issues. We are indeed hopefully building towards that kind of partnership.

Since the Cairo Summit and the Cairo Declaration there has been very important developments in Africa, in Europe and in the world.

In Africa we have moved on from the AOU to the African Union, which is our continental organisation that will indeed face the challenges of our time. We have also developed and adopted NEPAD as the Programme of Action of the African Union. Peace has dawned on Angola. DRC and Sudan and Burundi are moving to peace.

Europe has continued to concentrate mainly on its expansion and soon we will have to interact with a much-expanded European Union.

Internationally we have had the racism conference, the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

There have been tragic events, in Kenya, Tanzania hundreds of people died and of course September 11th in the United States and more recently Bali.

All these mean that whilst we have to respect the Cairo Declaration and Plan of Action but we have to take into account all these and make sure that the Plan of Action that comes out of Lisbon integrates all these new developments.

The world is looking at the deteriorating situation in the Middle East not only in Palestine and Israel and now Iraq.

We all hope war can be avoided in Iraq for may reasons including the fact that instability in that region and a rise in oil prices will make the Debt situation in many African countries who are not oil producing worse.

All these events have not improved the Debt situation in Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the underdevelopment in Africa.

The resolve by the Africans to take their destiny in their hands and to work harder for a brighter future for generations to come has increased.

Let us as partners sit and discuss and prepare for Lisbon and beyond. For us this is a very important partnership and we have to participate as Africa and Africa is indivisible.

We look forward to a very successful Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. We will do everything to make it a success because this partnership occupies an important place for obvious reasons.

This has a potential of being a great partnership for Africa and Europe. We have an opportunity. Let us not squander it.

I thank you.

For more information: Ms Batetsane Thokoane @ 083 443 7740
Issued by Department of Foreign affairs
28 November 2002 Source: SAPA