Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad will lead the South African delegation to the Organisation of African Unity's (OAU) Ministerial meeting of the extended Central Organ Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on 16 December 1998. This will be followed by a meeting of the Heads of State on 17-18 December 1998, when Deputy President Thabo Mbeki will lead the South African delegation. The crises in the DRC, Comoros, Angola and the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia will be on the agenda.
Before departing for the meeting today, Deputy Minister Pahad said that South Africa was very concerned about the deterioration in the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that it remained committed to promoting a negotiated solution to the crisis. He added that South Africa would assist the Central Organ to add impetus to the Lusaka process to ensure the implementation of a ceasefire without any further delay. The meeting will also discuss ways of addressing the security problems on the Comoran island of Anjouan, and to this end, will consider the proposals made by the South African-lead OAU fact-finding mission to the archipelago last week.
The deterioration in the situation in Angola, and especially the renewed heavy fighting in Huambo and Bie provinces will also be discussed. Deputy Minister Pahad reiterated the South African Government's position that every effort should be made to convince the parties that there could be no military solution to the conflict. The only option remained a steadfast commitment to a negotiated settlement. Deputy Minister Pahad again called on Unita to implement fully the provisions of the Lusaka Protocol.
The four nation committee of, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Djibouti, which was mandated by the OAU to seek an resolution to the Eritrean and Ethiopian border dispute, will table its latest proposals for consideration by the OAU meeting.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
15 DECEMBER 1998