PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA BRIEFING WEEK
10 FEBRUARY 1998
We can safely say that South Africa has found her rightful place in the family of nations. Our niche is secure. The last three and a half years has seen us lay important foundations upon which we can now conduct our diplomacy with confidence and commitment. The task has been an onerous one which included the re-establishment of many of our bilateral and multilateral relationships. These successes have now allowed us to look boldly at the prospects for 1998 - a year full of promise and exciting challenges. Limited time unfortunately allows me only to highlight a very few of these challenges.
MULTILATERAL
Foremost among these is the honour we have of assuming the chair of the Non- Aligned Movement until the year 2001. In September we will host the 12th Summit Conference of this organisation in Durban, which will be the largest meeting of Heads of State and Government ever held in this country. In preparation for this important Conference, the Cabinet created a Ministerial Committee under my chairmanship to oversee the Agenda and another to pilot the organisational arrangements, under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad.
Within the context of intensified globalisation, South Africa will endeavour to enhance the position of NAM, countering the marginalisation of developing countries and enabling their peaceful development. In hosting the NAM Summit, South Africa's moral and political standing within the international community will be enhanced. As an African chair, South Africa will endeavour to improve the profile of Africa and give further impetus to the African renaissance initiative.
In March, South Africa will for the first time take up the chairmanship of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. This is of special significance because this year is the 5th Anniversary of the World Conference of Human Rights, held in Geneva in 1993. During our chairmanship the world will take stock of the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action. In this respect the SA Human Rights Commission is already compiling a Plan of Action for South Africa, in conjunction with Government and civil society.
Of course, one of the major topics for debate this year will be the reform of the United Nations, and especially the reform of the Security Council. We will enthusiastically promote Africa's view that it is imperative for our Continent to be allocated at least two seats on a restructured Security Council and that the new permanent members should also have the right of veto. In short, we favour the democratisation of the UN at all levels in order that it reflects the changing realities.
Furthermore, for the next 3 years South Africa will be a member of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme. We intend using this opportunity to encourage the UNDP to promote the interests of Africa in particular.
South Africa has been able to serve as a bridge-builder between countries of the North and South and we hope to continue this role in 1998, especially in the field of disarmament.
SADC and OAU
Our commitment to SADC remains unquestioned. As Chair of this organisation we see the ratification of various protocols as our first priority. During the recent Council of Ministers meeting we urged member states to ratify all protocols before the next Summit in August this year.
The Department of Foreign Affairs will continue to render development assistance of a technical, financial and of a humanitarian nature to fellow African and especially SADC countries. (A comprehensive list of the nature of this assistance will be handed out to you.) In this regard, assistance to the OAU with a view to the strengthening of its structures by means of secondment of South African experts to key positions in the organisation, is being considered. The promotion of joint projects in the region like the Maputo Corridor, joint malaria and rabies campaigns, co-operation between the police and armed forces to combat cross-border crime through joint training courses and the combatting of illegal immigration is also under consideration.
Our commitments within the OAU will see us look at building our continent's capacity to participate in peace missions. We are dynamically involved in both refining the African policy and building real capacity and to this end our draft White Paper on Peace Missions should be ready for approval by Parliament by April this year.
ASIA
A significant aspect of the diversification of our relations is the dramatic expansion of our ties with Asia. We share the concern about the current financial crisis with which certain countries of this region are confronted, but we are confident that they will succeed in exporting themselves out of this crisis. This, in turn, will create more demand for imports from South Africa, especially minerals. We will, in co-operation with the Department of Trade and Industry, strive to increase the awareness of these opportunities both in the business world and other areas of civil society.
MIDDLE EAST
South Africa remains supportive of the Middle East Process. We firmly believe that only through peace will countries in this region achieve their full potential. We will not, however, stand by mute when any actions of the parties stand in blatant discord with the letter or spirit of their commitments under the Peace Process, or when unilateral actions by one party are universally perceived as damaging to the process of making peace. We will, thus, continue to enter into a critical dialogue with any party pursuing such policies.
LATIN AMERICA
South Africa's growing relations with the countries of Latin America will form the foundation for expanded trade, investment, scientific, technological, tourist and cultural ties with the region in l998. My Department is presently formalising a wide range of bilateral agreements which will create the necessary framework for the deepening of bilateral and multilateral relations with Latin America. This will include the completion of the process of a balanced representation in this region, with the opening of our new embassies in Venezuela and Peru, which will not only strengthen our political co- operation with this burgeoning region, but also support investment and export growth from and to the region.
NORTH AMERICA
The consolidation of our relations with the United States continues. We look forward to the visit by US Vice President A1 Gore later this month for the Binational Commission and the all important state visit by President Clinton in March this year. Recent notable developments in our relations have been the settlement of the Armscor case, establishment of a tax treaty and the opening of the US agricultural markets to South African exports.
EUROPE
Europe remains South Africa's predominant trading and investment partner. We look forward to consolidating our relations with Europe especially with such high profile visits from Presidents Herzog of Germany, Chirac of France, and King Harald of Norway in the next few months. As you know the Danish Prime Minister is currently visiting our country.
Our priority is also to conclude the proposed Trade, Development and Co- operation Agreement with the EU. Our major concern, as you know, is to have the restrictive elements in the EU's mandate for negotiations either removed or altered by the European Council. For example our most important agricultural exports are excluded from negotiations.