Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE VISIT OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MR AZIZ PAHAD TO THE MAGHREB FROM 26 APRIL - 4 MAY 1998
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, will pave the way for improved economic relations with the Maghreb, when he leads a delegation of senior officials and South African business representatives to Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, from 26 April - 4 May 1998.
The Maghreb, made up of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, is a region of 70 million people which is strategically situated in the heart of the Mediterranean basin. The visit is aimed at introducing the South African business community to the many opportunities which exist in this important region of North Africa.
The first stop of the visit will be Algeria where the Deputy Minister will co-chair the first meeting of the Joint Bilateral Commission (JBC) with his Algerian counterpart, Mr Lachene Moussaoui. The JBC is aimed at establishing a legal framework to facilitate business and other exchanges between the two countries. To this end, Deputy Minister Pahad will sign agreements in the fields of Merchant shipping and Air Services, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Tourism, Customs, Sport and the Avoidance of Double Taxation.
During his stay Deputy Minister Pahad will host the first Freedom Day celebrations in Algiers on 27 April 1998, following the establishment of the South African Embassy in that city in December 1997.
Deputy Minister Pahad will then proceed to Tunisia and Libya where he will hold talks with both governments, the primary focus of which will be to promote economic exchanges with these two countries. He will also use the opportunity to introduce the business delegation, made up of a cross-section of South African private and public sector interests, to their local counterparts.
Following this visit, Ministerial delegations from both Morocco and Tunisia are expected in South Africa in mid-May for the second meetings of the respective Joint Bilateral Commissions with these two countries. Substantial progress has been made since the first meetings of the two JBC's which has included the introduction of a direct airlink between Casablanca and Johannesburg and the possibility of a similar link to Tunis.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 26 APRIL 1998