Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
JOINT COMMUNIQUE ON THE OCCASION OF HOLDING THE THIRD SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL JOINT COMMISSION BETWEEN THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT AND THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA (CAIRO 26 - 28 OCTOBER 1998)
The South African Minister of Public Works, H.E. Mr Jeff Radebe, lead a delegation of senior officials, economic, technical and NGO representatives to the third session of the Joint Commission on cooperation between South Africa and Egypt, held in Cairo 26-28 October 1998.
Minister Ahmed Geweily, Minister of Trade and Supply co-chaired the third session of the Joint Commission on cooperation between Egypt and South Africa with Minister Jeff Radebe, Minister Geweily headed a large delegation of government officials and businessmen. The first and second sessions of J.B.C. were held in Cairo, in April 1996, and in Pretoria, in August 1997, respectively.
During his stay in Egypt H.E. Jeff Radebe Minister of Public Works was received by:
- H.E. Amre Moussa, Minister of Foreign Affairs - H.E. Mahmoud Abdel Halim Abou Zeid, Minister of Public Works and Water Resources; - H.E. Atef Ebeid, Minister of Public Sector - Mr Ismail Ousman, Chief Executive of Arab Contractors
The two Ministers renewed their satisfaction at the solid basis on which the relations between the two countries have been established and the good progress that has been made in various fields of cooperation since the second session of the Joint Commission. In this regard, three agreements were signed in the fields of trade, promotion and the reciprocal protection of investments, and merchant shipping and related maritime matters. The two sides initialled an agreement on Police cooperation. They also initialled a memorandum of understanding in support of the existing agreement signed during the second session on the cooperation in the fields of science and the technology.
The two Ministers discussed ways and means to further promote bilateral trade. In this regard they expressed concern that the current bilateral trade does not reflect the enormous potentials of the two countries. To this end, prominent businessmen as well as technical and NGOs representatives were part of the two delegations. The two Ministers stressed the need for the private sectors to exh exist in both countries, obviously including the privatization process, increasing joint venture projects, and partnership between the private sectors. In this regard, they expressed satisfaction at the ongoing exchange of business delegations.
In conjunction with the Third session of the Ministerial Joint Commission a statement on cooperation in the field of Information Technology between the two countries was issued by the Egyptian Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) and the South African Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) confirming their determination to continue their close cooperation with a view to deepen their relationship in building the Information Society in Africa.
On international and regional issues, the two Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of their respective countries to the principles and objectives of the OAU and the UN, constituting an ideal framework for consolidating peace, solidarity, and cooperation among countries and peoples of the continent and the world. The two Ministers strongly condemned all acts, practices, and methods of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They urged the international community to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. They strongly support the holding of an international conference on terrorism, to be held under the auspices of the United Nations.
The two Ministers reiterated that the Treaty for establishing The African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (Pelindaba Treaty) constitutes a valuable contribution to world peace. In this regard, they reaffirmed that the viability of the African nuclear weapon free zone would be strengthened by the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East. Minister Radebe expressed that South Africa commends and supports the initiative by H.E. Hosni Mubarak, The President of The Arab Republic of Egypt, in June 1998, to achieve a world free from all weapons of mass destruction in particular, nuclear weapons, and to convene as soon as possible an international conference to consider this issue. They stressed the need to promote the cause of peace, democracy, and human rights and expressed their determination to work together to promote efforts aimed at reforming and revitalizing the UN in the political, economic and social fields. They further expressed their readiness to work jointly in order to contribute to efforts to put an end to conflicts as well as to reduce areas of tension in Africa.
The two Ministers reiterated their governments' continued support for the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution and urged all member states of the OAU, and the international community to continue to support the Mechanism. The two Ministers reiterated their support for the need to broaden the membership of the UN Security Council in order to make it more representative of the international community and thereby render the council more effective in discharging its primary responsibilities.
The two sides reiterated their commitment to the OAU resolutions regarding the expansion and restructuring of the United Nations Security Council. With regard to political issues the two sides discussed, inter alia the following situations: The government of Angola was commended for pursuing peace and stability in the country, UNITA and Mr Jonas Savimbi were condemned for the non-compliance with the provisions of the Lusaka Protocol as well as the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Both sides urged the international community and the United Nations Security Council to continue to put pressure on UNITA.
Concerning Somalia, the two Ministers expressed their support for the ongoing regional and international efforts to assist all Somalis and call on them to actively participate in the national reconciliation process. In this regard, Minister Radebe praised Egypt's role especially in facilitating the signing of the Cairo Accord by the Somali factions in December 1997 being a significant step towards a genuine and lasting reconciliation. The two Ministers reiterated the call on Somali leaders to set aside their differences and work together to achieve peace in Somalia. They underlined the need for the OAU to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Somalia in accordance with the OAU resolution, adopted during the last summit in Ouagadougou. In this regard they reiterated the importance of preserving the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Somalia.
Concerning the situation in the Sudan, the two Ministers reiterated that only lasting peace based on the territorial integrity, unity, justice, equality, and democracy, can lead to meaningful stability, development and progress in the Sudan. They exchanged views on all aspects of the conflict and its implications, and fully supported all efforts for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the problem.
The two Ministers expressed their concern at the ongoing military conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its negative effect on the stability of the Great Lakes region and reiterated their Government's support for the meetings between President Mandela and the leaders of the countries of the region, as well as the efforts of the Lusaka Meeting of regional Foreign and Defence Ministries or escalation of the conflict, in order to create the right climate for the initiation of a political dialogue among the people of the DRC to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Minister Geweily expressed his appreciation for South Africa's efforts to reinforce regional efforts to convince the parties to the conflict to put an immediate stop to the fighting in the DRC. The two Ministers reiterated the need to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC.
The two delegations examined with deep concern the crisis between Eritrea and Ethiopia. They expressed their support for the mediation efforts being exerted by the OAU. The two sides called on the parties to exert maximum self-restraint and to continue to cooperate with peace initiatives aimed at achieving a lasting solution to the dispute.
The two Ministers discussed the developments in the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros. Minister Geweily commended the efforts of South Africa as the OAU coordinator with regard to the situation in the Comoros, the two sides stressed that a negotiated settlement be based on the unity and territorial integrity of the Comoros, while taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the people of the archipelago. To this end, the two Ministers acknowledged the need for the Organization of African Unity and the League of Arab States to continue their coordination on this issue.
The two Ministers also agreed that pressure must be put on the separatist leaders in order to render their positions the needed flexibility. On the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, both Ministers expressed their support for the ECOWAS in its endeavour to stabilize the situation. They commended the role played by Cape Verde and other mediators to reach a cease-fire. Concerning the developments in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the two Ministers welcomed the recent agreements reached by the political parties in Lesotho aiming at holding fair and fresh elections. In this context, Minister Geweily praised the role of South Africa, and that of SADC to achieve peace and stability in that country.
The two Ministers welcomed the latest developments leading to a significant breakthrough of the Lockerbie crisis, guaranteeing the termination of the sanctions imposed on Libya and putting an end to the suffering of the Libyan people. They supported Libya's stand calling for a just trial for the two suspects, and securing all necessary guarantees in this regard. They also expressed their hope that all parties concerned reach an understanding concerning these guarantees.
Both Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the resumption of the peace process with a view to reaching a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the principles of the Madrid process, and in particular, the principle of 'Land for Peace' as well as Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and 425. They reiterated that any just and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict requires the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, South of Lebanon, and the Syrian Golan Heights and must ensure the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state. In this regard, Minister Radebe praised the pivotal and honest role played by Egypt towards achieving a just and lasting peace in the region.
The two Ministers welcomed the Palestinian-Israeli agreement signed on 23 October 1998, in The United States of America, and expressed their hope that the Israeli government be committed to its full and faithful implementation, securing the withdrawal from all Palestinian territories agreed upon, and reaching a satisfactory agreement concerning the third phase of the withdrawal, aiming at starting the final status negotiations. They reaffirmed the importance of the resumption of negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks from the point where they stopped, in order to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East paving the way for development, prosperity and realizing the legitimate aspirations of the peoples of the region. The two sides, once again, condemned the Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian and Arab occupied territories, and all Israeli actions aiming at annexing East Jerusalem.
They stressed that these activities are null and void whether legally or politically. The two Ministers noted the efforts exerted by the United States of America, which led to the latest agreement. They called upon the two sponsors of the peace process and the international community to continue exerting efforts on all tracks. The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the agreement reached between Syria and Turkey. In this regard, Minister Radebe commended Egypt's successful mediation efforts led by H.E.
President Hosni Mubarak with a view to defusing the tension between the two countries. The two Ministers expressed their solidarity with the people of Iraq, and called for putting an end to their suffering. In this regard, they welcomed the efforts of the Secretary General of the United Nations to reach a settlement to the current crisis based on the resumption of cooperation with the UNSCOM as a significant step towards the consideration of the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iraq. The two sides reiterated the importance of preserving the sovereignty, unity and the territorial integrity of Iraq. The two Ministers commended the achievements of the XIIth NAM Summit, which created the building blocks towards an action-oriented chairmanship by South Africa.
They reiterated their Governments' support for translating the Final Summit Document into a plan of action. They reiterated the need to establish priority areas which are practical and implementable in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the Movement. The Ministers welcomed the successful interventions by South Africa on disarmament, which ensured that the NAM positions on nuclear disarmament and related issues were not watered down in light of recent tests in South Asia; on mercenaries, which caused the Summit to adopt a language encouraging members to adopt national legislations aimed a combating mercenarism; and on North-South dialogue regarding the importance of constructive dialogue aimed at the resolution of global problems.
Minister Geweily reiterated Egypt's support for South Africa who, as Chairman of the NAM, will take on a heavy responsibility in ensuring appropriate continuation of developing a new economic agenda for the South, building on the report by the NAM Ad Hoc Panel of Economists as well as continuing efforts to address the core problems such as poverty, external debts and underdevelopment.
The two Ministers expressed their optimism in developing the African Renaissance vision. They furthermore expressed their concern that existing capacities in Africa are not fully utilized and emphasis should be placed on South/South cooperation. The two delegations decided to engage each other in determining how the two countries can cooperate in giving content to the development of the African Renaissance initiative. The two Ministers agreed that the fourth session of the Ministerial Joint Commission on cooperation between Egypt and South Africa be held in South Africa in the second half of 1999.
At the conclusion of the visit, His Excellency Minister Radebe expressed his sincere appreciation to the people and government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the warm, friendly and hospitable reception extended to him and his entire delegation during their stay in Egypt. Issued in Cairo on 28 October 1998
H.E. Mr Jeffry Radebe H.E. Dr Ahmed Geweily Minister of Public Works Minister of Trade & Supply Republic of South Africa Arab Republic Of Egypt