Government says it stands ready to engage US President George W Bush on numerous international issues saying there is “no fundamental problem’ between two countries” bilateral relations.

Foreign affairs deputy minister Aziz Pahad made the remarks in Pretoria today following reports that the two countries did not see eye-to-eye on numerous issues especially the recent war in Iraq and political instability Zimbabwe.

President Bush is expected to arrive in South Africa on the evening of July 8 and is scheduled to meet President Mbeki at the Union Buildings in Pretoria the following day, before he heads to Senegal, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria.

This will be the second visit to the continent by a US leader following that by former President Bill Clinton a few years ago. Addressing journalists in Pretoria today, minister Pahad said the two nations had agreed on the eradication of weapons of mass destruction but differed on ways to deal with getting rid of deadly weapons. He however said that bilateral relations between the two nations remained watertight. Now the challenge was how to deal with the extremely volatile situation in the post-war Iraq, which had the potential to further fuel tension in the oil-rich region. “Our objective is now to work with all countries in the world, we (Africa) are very far but Iraq impacts on many things,” he said.

He added that the objective was to consult with many countries including President Bush and his delegation to implement resolution 1483, that calls for the reconstruction of Iraq after its assault by US-led military forces.

“We would like to get their analysis of what is going on there…we need to see how we can stabilise that situation,” he said, adding that government views on Iraq were that conditions ought to be created for Iraqis to start running their own government. On Zimbabwe, Pahad said government remained convinced that only Zimbabweans, with the help of the international community, could find solutions to their problems.

He added that President Bush’s visit would provide the South Africa and American leadership to openly exchange views on the way forward. “I hope this visit will once again give us the opportunity to frankly discuss Zimbabwe and discuss what we suppose to do”. President Bush is expected to make an announcement to aid Zimbabwe.

In addition to talks around the political instability in Zimbabwe, the embattled Middle East peace process, the two Presidents are also expected to discuss the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), global terrorism and conflicts on the continent. – BuaNews.