Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ebrahim Ebrahim, is to participate in the SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Namibia today.

Ebrahim’s participation in the meeting comes within the context of supporting the work programme of the SADC region as a central component of South Africa’s foreign policy.

The ministers are expected to deliberate on issues arising from various sectorial programmes and meetings over the past year including the overall performance of SADC institutions and ongoing work programmes.

The deputy minister will participate in discussions on progress reports on the review of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISPD) and the Operationalisation of the Regional Climate Change Centre.

The Council meeting will also consider possible dates for the 2011 SADC Consultative Conference on the impact of the Global Economic and Financial Crisis which was scheduled for the end of last year but was subsequently postponed.

The process relating to the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite arrangement – including arrangements for the second Tripartite Summit to be held in the next few weeks – will also be placed under the spotlight.

The objective of these discussions is to establish a Free Trade Area (FTA) encompassing the three Regional Economic Communities (RECs). In this regard an extensive process of national consultations and related work programmes has taken place over the past two years to advance the FTA arrangement.

– BuaNews