Following his return from a five nation tour of the Middle East region from 20 November to 1 December 1999, during which he met with senior government leaders in Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad described the outcome of his visit as extremely successful.
Deputy Minister Pahad indicated that a major focus of his visit to Iraq, was to assist South African companies which have an already established interest in trading with Iraq in terms of the so-called United Nations "oil for food" program, to enhance their access and ability to conduct business in this sphere.
The delegation which accompanied the Deputy Minister was over 30 strong and included representatives from parastatal organisations such as the SA Bureau of Standards, the Agricultural Research Council, the Council for Geosciences and Eskom, as well as private sector interests in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, water and waste technology, construction, engineering and communication spheres. The Deputy Minister indicated that meetings were arranged while in Iraq with the Ministers or Deputy Ministers of Health, Trade, Oil, Industry, Electricity and Agriculture and opportunities were provided for members of the South African delegation to meet with them to discuss business possibilities with their Ministries.
Additionally, Deputy Minister Pahad also had meetings with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, Foreign Minister Said Al Sahaf and his counterpart Nizaar Hamdoun. Discussions with these senior officials focussed on Iraq’s response to efforts at the United Nations to formulate a new consensus resolution in the UN Security Council on Iraq, as well as the devastating impact of UN sanctions on the Iraqi population and requirements for Iraq to comply with UN mandated disarmament programs.
Deputy Minister Pahad also met with senior United Nations officials dealing with humanitarian relief programs in Iraq and senior officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross who also briefed the Deputy Minister on issues of humanitarian concern and the continuing controversy surrounding Kuwaiti Prisoners of War and individuals missing in action during the Gulf War.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
Pretoria
3 DECEMBER 1999