South Africa

PRETORIA - South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation has clarified its stance on the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, saying that he would be arrested if he was to land in South Africa. The department's director-general, Ayanda Ntsaluba, says that South Africa, as a signatory to the International Criminal Court's founding Rome Statute, is obliged to arrest him if he visits the country. "There is not the slightest hint that South Africa will renege on its international obligations," he says. Ntsaluba states that the African Union lost its battle to have the arrest warrant for Al Bashir deferred, on fears of derailing the peace process in Sudan. However, Ntsaluba says that the battle will continue to be fought, but within the confines of international commitments and South Africa's own Constitutional mandate.

DURBAN - Inequalities between people in the First World portion of South Africa's economy and those living in the underdeveloped portion will remain a source of tension, says African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe. Speaking at the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture gala dinner at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mantashe says that the transformation of South Africa's economy remains a key challenge. The ruling party has started tackling this situation through legislation and policies, but Mantashe says that it is "painfully aware" that most South Africans still live in severe poverty. The secretary-general explains that the ANC's commitment to accelerating basic service delivery to all citizens may "in itself create new challenges", but the party is determined to audit councillors at municipal level and assess the capacity of municipalities to deliver within their budgets. "This is not a punitive action," he says, "but an action to ensure an improvement in our overall capacity to hold true to our commitment for better service delivery and a better life for all."

PRETORIA - South Africa is to participate in the next Doha Round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, set to take place next year, to ensure that developing nations have a voice, states the South African government. Following a Cabinet briefing, Minister for Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency Collins Chabane says that South Africa will participate in the Doha negotiations and assess the impact on its economy. Chabane says that South Africa will work closely with other emerging and developing nations to ensure that the development agenda is advanced to ensure a proper balance between the demand for industrial tariff reduction and agricultural negotiations.

JOHANNESBURG - A $250-billion financial package to revive a global trading system crippled by the credit crisis is starting to bear fruit, especially in Asia where China has "stepped in very vigorously", says Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He adds that he feels, qualitatively, that "things are picking up". Despite this cautious optimism, Lamy says that the WTO is maintaining its forecast of a 10% contraction in global trade this year as a result of the world recession and the freeze-up in trade credit precipitated by the financial crisis. WTO members have also acknowledged South Africa's argument for special treatment in the current Doha Round of trade talks because of relatively deep cuts in industrial tariffs made under apartheid. During white minority rule, South Africa was treated in trade terms as a developed country, rather than in terms of the developing status it now enjoys. Lamy explains that South Africa will benefit from specific flexibilities after the trade talks.

JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called for South African investment in his country. Speaking at a meeting of business and government officials in Johannesburg, Tsvangirai explains that he will encourage South African companies over foreign companies, as South African businesses can operate in a familiar environment and understand the "politics, economics and potential of Zimbabwe". The country requires improvements in infrastructure, but lacks the resources for such investments. Tsvangirai adds that the country's economic stability requires access to foreign markets, finance, technology, skills and ideas.