Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
28 May 2001
The French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, will pay an official visit to South Africa from 31 May to 1 June 2001.
South Africa highly values its strategic partnership with France. Prime Minister Jospin was invited to visit South Africa by President Mbeki in the aftermath of his warm reception by both President Chirac and Prime Minister Jospin during his visits to France in 1998. Late President Mitterrand was the first Head of State to visit South Africa after the first democratic elections took place in 1994 and President Mandela visited France in 1996 while President Chirac visited South Africa in 1998.
Mr Jospin will meet President Mbeki on Thursday, 31 May at Tuynhuys for in depth discussions regarding international issues of mutual interest. It is expected that this meeting will concentrate on regional issues such as the relationship between peace and security on the one hand, and poverty eradication and economic development on the other, also in the context of the appropriate OAU endorsed initiatives such as the Millennium Africa Recovery Programme. They will further deliberate multilateral issues such as the restructuring of the United Nations and the global financial architecture. Particular emphasis will be placed on North-South dialogue and cooperation, also in the context of the G8 meeting that will soon be held in Genoa, Italy. Other matters such as the Middle East conflict will also be broached.
Deputy President Zuma will also meet with Mr Jospin on 31 May and host an official banquet in his honour.
Other ministerial meetings include the annual consultation in terms of the Forum for Political Dialogue between the respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Dr N Dlamini Zuma and her French counterpart, Mr Hubert Vedrine. Bilateral meetings between Minister Erwin and the French Minister for Foreign Trade, Mr Francois Huwart, between Minister T Didiza and her French counterpart, Mr Jean Glavany and between Minister Balfour and his French counterpart, Mrs Marie Buffet are also scheduled.
The meeting between Ministers Dlamini Zuma and Vedrine will concentrate on bilateral relations, regional issues such as the various African conflict situations and efforts to broker peace as well as the international conferences that South Africa will host, namely the UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and associated Intolerance, to be held in Durban from 31 August to 7 September as well as the International Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in September 2002, presided by the United Nations..
Prime Minister Jospin will address the South African Parliament on 31 May on inter alia the new French Africa policy.
He will visit Robben Island on 31 May in Cape Town and the Satellite Application Centre at Hartbeeshoek and a health clinic in Mamelodi on 1 June 2001. These projects are illustrative of the strong commercial relationship between the two countries in terms of joint technological and financial arrangements.
Mr Jospin will meet with former President Mandela on 1 June and then attend and address a South African/Franco Economic Forum on 1 June to be held in Sandton. He will also meet with Minister Erwin on this occasion.
Mr Jospin will finally meet the local French community before his departure on Friday evening, 1 June to Paris.
Various agreements and arrangements will be signed during his visit. The most prominent agreements that will be signed are in the fields of development cooperation, mutual legal assistance, search and rescue (Reunion), and cooperation on civil aviation.
Various cooperative technical partnerships agreements will also be signed on Wednesday, 30 May, prior to the arrival of Mr Jospin, during the first session of the South African/Franco Joint Commission on Education, Arts, Culture, Science, Technology and Sport. This meeting will be chaired by the Director-General of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Dr R Adam and the French Director-General for Cooperation in the Foreign Ministry, Mr Bruno Delaye.
France is considered a strategic international partner both of the continent and of South Africa. Bilateral political and economic relations are on an excellent footing.
South African/Franco bilateral trade has shown steady annualised growth; exports to France amounted to R 4 billion in 2000 while imports amounted to R7,9 billion in 2000. France has consistently being one of South Africa's ten major trade, investment, cooperation, technology and tourism partners.
The South African Government is looking forward to the important visit of Prime Minister Jospin, which will serve to give further impetus to South African/Franco relations.
For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell no. 082 990 4853