Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
13 January 2002
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the media. Thank you for honouring our invitation this morning.
I would like to take this opportunity to brief you on the outcome of the SADC Council of Ministers meeting which was held here yesterday.
As you may be aware, this extra-ordinary Council of Ministers' meeting, as expected, confined itself to two items, namely:
Operationalisation of the African Union
Among the issues that were covered under this item were:
Yesterday's decisions on the African Union follow extensive deliberations on the matter. SADC's Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and Finance and Planning, together with the SADC Legal Sector and the Addis-Ababa based Committee of SADC Ambassadors did most of the spadework. Our decisions of yesterday were informed by the critical reports that emanated from their work.
Rules of Procedure for the Priority Organs of the AU
As you are probably aware, the AU has a number of priority institutions such as the Assembly, the Executive Council, the Commission, and the Permanent Representative Committee. All these need to operate within a set of rules of procedure. As SADC we are here now to approve these. Of course what we are doing will have to be examined by the African continent as a whole. Our proposals will serve as inputs into the deliberations at the continental level.
Clustering of Areas of Cooperation
As you are aware, as SADC we have or are currently heavily involved in the restructuring of our institutions. It would not be an overemphasis to say the question of clusters is still fresh in our minds. We are in the process of clustering our sections from 21 into 4 Directorates. We have put a lot of thought into the clustering process in the recent past. We are confident about the appropriateness of the SADC approach. Hence we recommend this position to the AU.
SADC recommends the establishment of the following commissions:
1. Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment, responsible for monetary and financial affairs;
2. Commissioner for Infrastructure and Services, responsible for transport, communications, energy and tourism;
3. Commissioner for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, responsible for rural economy and agricultural matters;
4. Commissioner for Social and Human Resource Development, responsible for Health, Labour and Social Affairs; and
5. Commissioner for Political Affairs, responsible for the promotion of peace, security and stability on the continent.
The Hosting of the AU Institutions
The AU is expected to have several institutions some of which SADC Member States would like to host, especially the financial institutions. Council noted that some African countries have already offered to host the AU institutions. In view of the need to ensure that the AU institutions are effectively hosted, taking into account the importance of regional balance, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance recommended that the SADC Secretariate should develop criteria to be used at a continental level in deciding the hosting of AU institutions. A draft report, with inputs from Member States, is expected to be presented for consideration to the next Council meeting to be held in Zanzibar from 12 to 14 February 2002.
Quote System
Regarding this matter, Council noted SADC's under-representation at the OAU General Secretariate in spite of the fact that SADC Member States regularly pay their financial contributions to the organizations. It is against this background that SADC is recommending an effective quota system. The Committee of SADC Ambassadors has been tasked with consulting on the system, taking into account:
Council also noted that the current system of appointing the Chairperson of the AU Commissioner makes it difficult for SADC to successfully field a candidate for the position. SADC is therefore to recommend to the AU that such a position rotates among the five regions of the continent.
Funding of the AU
Owing to the poor funding status of the OAU, Council approved the following:
SADC/US Forum
The Forum, which was established in 1998 with the aim of enhancing cooperation between SADC and the United States Government, has so far held two meetings in Botswana and Mozambique respectively. Council approved that the next meeting be held in Washington DC. The proposed dates are 22-23 March 2002. That meeting is expected to cover Economic Cooperation; Regional Environmental and Natural Resources Management; and Political Round Table.
In brief, these are the issues that were covered by the Ministers of Council meeting. May I take this opportunity to invite you to the Official Opening of Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government, which opens tomorrow here at 08:00.
Once again, I thank you for coming.
For further information, contact Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853