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Sout
h Africa will continue to work with other countries to speed up
the process of restructuring and strengthening the United Nations
and other world organisations, President Thabo Mbeki said on
Friday.
Delivering his state-of-the-nation address at the opening of
Parliament in Cape Town, he said South Africa would also persist in
its efforts to ensure a successful conclusion of World Trade
Organisation negotiations, "by the beginnning of the coming year,
as originally planned".
Mbeki also committed South Africa to "continue to work with our
sister countries Zimbabwe and Swaziland so that the citizens of
these... can also enjoy peace, stability and sustainable
development".
Touching on international flashpoints, he said government would
continue to keep a close eye on the situation in the Middle
East.
"Necessarily focusing on the Israel-Palestine and Iraq conflicts,
contributing what we can to their solution, including support for
the vigorous implementation of the Road Map (peace plan)."
South Africa would also intensify its preparations to take part in
next year's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, he
said.
Further, the country would co-operate closely with India and Brazil
to strengthen economic ties, while further strengthening links with
China.
"We will (also) continue to work with the International Investment
Council and the Presidential Council on Information Society to
improve our responses to the process of globalisation and our
access to foreign direct investment and modern information and
communication technologies.
"We will also continue to work with other countries to speed up the
process of restructuring the United Nations and other international
organisations to respond to the urgant need to strengthen our
multilateral system.
"This will include making an input into the work of the Panel of
Eminent Persons, which was established by the UN Secretary-General,
and which must present its report before the end of the year,"
Mbeki said.
On Africa, he said South Africa had offered to host the Pan-African
Parliament, "and await the decision that will be taken by the July
summit meeting of the African Union in this regard".
"We will continue to contribute to the effective functioning of our
regional organisation, SADC (the Southern African Development
Community), helping to enhance its capacity to speed up the process
of regional integration."
South Africa would also consolidate its bilateral co-operation
agreements with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, the DRC, Uganda,
Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia and Lesotho, Mbeki said. -
Sapa
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