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Date
: 17/11/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: Mbeki: Address at the State Banquet, Paris, France
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, MR THABO
MBEKI, AT THE STATE BANQUET, Elysee Palace, Paris, 17 November
2003
Your Excellency, President Jacques Chirac and Madame Chirac,
Your Excellencies Ministers and Ambassadors,
Distinguished guests,
Friends, ladies and gentlemen:
My wife, our delegation and I feel greatly honoured to have been
invited by His Excellency President Jacques Chirac to visit France.
We have been deeply moved by the warmth of our welcome to the
Republic and this magnificent city, Paris.
We are also privileged to convey to President Chirac, the
government and the people of France the warm greetings and best
wishes of our own government and people. This we can say without
any fear of contradiction that our people share the hope that our
visit to France will result in the further strengthening of our
relations.
As the President of the Republic and the honoured guests are aware,
our continent, Africa, has set itself the critically important task
to achieve its renaissance. In this context we have made bold to
say that we will, as a result of our actions, make the 21st an
African Century.
You, Mr President, are as aware as we are of the enormity of the
task we face in this regard. In a real sense we have to address the
legacy of a painful and tragic African history that is
half-a-millennium old, that began with the export of millions of
Africans as slaves.
Successfully to address this legacy we must, among other things,
even focus on the fundamental issue of the affirmation of our
capacity as Africans to determine our own destiny. What we do from
day to day must, in practice, confirm our confidence in ourselves
as the makers of our own history.
For these reasons, our continent took the correct decision that we
must ourselves set the agenda for the transformation and renewal of
Africa. This has resulted in the establishment of the African Union
(AU) and the adoption of its programme for social and economic
development, the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD).
We were very pleased, Mr. President, that shortly before we left
our country to travel to France, our continent took two more steps
forward in the struggle to attend to the two and related questions
of democracy and peace.
Following its ratification a few days ago by the requisite number
of African countries, the Protocol authorising the establishment of
the Pan-African Parliament will come into force in a month's time.
This is of great importance to the continuing effort to entrench
democracy and human rights in Africa.
Yesterday, the negotiations aimed at bringing peace and democracy
to Burundi took a decisive step forward, opening the way for the
inclusion of the principal armed group in that country in the
Burundi Transitional Government, which will happen within the next
ten days. We are moving forward steadily, towards a situation of
peace within and between the countries of the Great Lakes
Region.
I make these comments about Africa to pay a special tribute to you,
Mr President. We count you as one of the outstanding and leading
champions of the African Renaissance. We deeply appreciate your
unswerving, passionate and selfless commitment to work with us to
achieve Africa's renewal. That commitment gives us enormous
strength as we confront the obstacles we must overcome to achieve
the humane goals we share with you.
In this context I must also convey our sincere appreciation for
everything that you and France have done and are doing to help to
bring peace to the Cote d'Ivoire.
Mr President, the relations between France and South Africa have
never been better and stronger than they are today. I am convinced
that this is because they are based on common values, shared
interests and sentiments of human solidarity and mutually
beneficial cooperation.
Over the last few years, the political relations between our
countries have achieved new heights in terms of their quality and
maturity. Similarly, our economic relations have also continued to
deepen. Daily, France gains in strength as one of our leading
international economic partners. Cooperation in other areas is also
growing apace, helping us greatly in our continuing efforts to
eradicate the legacy of the criminal apartheid system.
Once again, I thank you Mr President for everything you have done
to help bring about these outcomes. Through you, Mr President, I
would like to convey the message to the sister people of France
that we are determined to ensure that South Africa develops as a
non-racial, non-sexist, peaceful and prosperous democracy. We will
also contribute whatever we can to help ensure that Africa outgrows
her misery. We will do what we have to do not to disappoint the
expectations of the people of France with regard to these important
matters.
Let us please rise and drink a toast to the continued good health
of President and Madame Chirac, to the excellent relations between
our two countries, and to friendship between the peoples of South
Africa and France.
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