Deputy President Thabo Mbeki announced today that he once again looks forward to welcoming to South Africa his US counterpart, Vice President Al Gore, who will visit Cape Town from 17 to 18 February February 1999. The Vice President's visit takes place on the occasion of the next full plenary meeting of the South Africa - United States of America Binational Commission (BNC), which the Deputy President will host on 18 February 1999.
The BNC, which was founded under the leadership of President Nelson Mandela and US President Clinton, was inaugurated on 1 March 1995, in Washington, DC, and was originally designed to consist of five committees, namely the Trade and Investment Committee, the Environment, Conservation and Water Affairs Committee, the Sustainable Energy Committee, the Human Resources Development and Education Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. Today, as a result of a substantial increase in important areas of bilateral cooperation, the BNC is made up of eight Committees, with Agriculture, Defence and Justice and anti-Crime Cooperation having been added to the original five. In addition, two Subcommittees were also established in 1997, dealing with Health and Housing issues, respectively.
The BNC is chaired jointly by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and Vice President Al Gore. The specialized Committees and Subcommittees are themselves jointly chaired by Cabinet-level South African and US Government representatives, who work to identify and achieve clear, mutually beneficial objectives, promoting strong partnerships with the private sector and non-governmental organizations in the Committee activities.
The format of BNC meeting alternates between a full plenary and an executive meeting, with the venue also alternating between South Africa and the USA. The BNC offers South Africa the opportunity to engage the US regularly at the highest levels of Government and to realise some of its own domestic development objectives. In the past, considerable progress has been reported by the Committees in such diverse areas as, inter alia, the promotion of US direct investment in South Africa, the reduction of pollution, the conservation of water, the management of waste, the improvement of agricultural access, technology exchange, the promotion of higher learning, improved primary health care and housing development.
The various specialist BNC Committees will schedule their own meetings prior to the plenary session, where they will report to the Principals on progress made in the numerous joint projects which they have undertaken.
The Deputy President and Vice President will review the substance of their work together at a press conference on the afternoon of 18 February 1999, after the plenary session.
As is the custom during such visits, Vice President Gore will pay a courtesy call on President Nelson Mandela while in Cape Town.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
16 FEBRUARY 1999