Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON MEETING BETWEEN DEPUTY MINISTER A PAHAD AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COOPERATION DR REGINALD MOREELS OF BELGIUM.
During a meeting in Cape Town today with the Belgian Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Mr Reginald Moreels, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad confirmed that South Africa would participate in the International Conference in Brussels on 12 - 13 October 1998 with the theme "Sustainable disarmament for sustainable development". The conference will focus on the problem of illicit trafficking of light weapons and small arms. Mr Pahad emphasised that this issue is especially pertinent to the Southern African region with its legacy of regional conflicts. Mr Pahad pointed out that South Africa was already cooperating with its neighbours in an effort to harmonise legislation so as to find and destroy large stockpiles of weapons which have been built up over recent years. The International Conference in Brussels would provide additional inspiration and impetus in the global effort to minimise the negative effects of the illicit proliferation of small arms.
On bilateral relations Deputy Minister Pahad referred to the solid historical and cultural links which the two countries enjoyed. Indicative of this relationship was the fact that Belgian has over the past five years remained one of South Africa's leading trading partners with bilateral trade exceeding R6 billion in 1996. Furthermore Belgian has substantial fixed industrial investments in South Africa and has been amongst South Africa's top 10 direct foreign investors for a number of years.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CAPE TOWN 28 MAY 1998