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Pres
ident Thabo Mbeki is to go on a “working visit” to
the troubled Middle East, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Aziz
Pahad said today, confirming that the President had accepted an
invitation to visit the region.
During a state visit last week, the President of the Palestinian
Authority Mahmoud Abbas made a clear request for support from South
Africa saying "your participation and advice, is essential under
these complex and difficult circumstances, and we are confident
that, with our dear friend President Mbeki and members of his
government, we can reach a common position, through which we can
push towards reviving the peace process in our region".
In a move seen by many as promoting peace and democracy in that
country, Abbas swore in the militant Hamas political formation into
government, a day before he traveled to South Africa, following its
recent election victory. Briefing the media in Pretoria yesterday,
Deputy Minister Pahad said due to the outcome of the elections in
Israel last week, which saw the newly-formed Kadima party emerge as
the dominant political party, it was “clear for the first
time in Israeli history that there is a possibility of a coalition
government”.
“Now that the Hamas are attempting to form a coalition
government, this is a success story…everybody needs a
peaceful solution,” he noted. Pahad said these positive
developments, both in Israel and Palestine presented an opportunity
for the two countries “to move jointly in finding peace in
the region”.
He praised the recently held Arab summit, for having taken a firm
stand on helping the Israeli and Palestine governments, especially
the Palestinians themselves, to find peace.
The Deputy Minister indicated that South Africa was working on a
particular framework for the Middle East, which supported the Oslo
Agreement and the United Nations resolution on the regional
impasse.
The Olson Agreement was entered into between representatives for
the Palestinian people, and the state of Israel in September 1995,
in Washington, US, by the late Arafat, the former Israeli prime
minister, Yitzhak Rabin and the former president of the United
States, Bill Clinton.
This agreement was a follow up to the Oslo Agreement struck in
1993, the first peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, and
served as a continuation of the fragile peace process of the Middle
East.
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