A Pahad: Briefing notes on international issues

27 June 2006

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

* The process of preparing for elections in the DRC is on track.
* The South African Government will be deploying a 128 member National Observer
Team to observe the DRC elections. The Observer Team would consist of people
from civic organisations, parliamentarians, government officials and
individuals who have previous observation experience. The observer team will be
deployed to the DRC from 12 July to 21 August 2006.
* Southern African Development Community (SADC) has also requested that 10
South Africans be nominated to the SADC team. This request is currently being
processed.
* As you already know, South Africa has been selected to print the ballot
papers, for which the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will bear the
costs. The South African Government on the other hand will bear the costs for
the purchase of the printing paper, storage of ballot papers in South Africa
and the costs for the transportation of the ballot papers to 14 hubs in the
DRC. An agreement between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and
UNDP has been signed in this regard.
* A total of 33 presidential candidates have registered for the elections.
There are over nine thousand legislative candidates for the 500 member National
Assembly. This has necessitated the printing of over two thousand tonnes of
ballot papers.
* The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had also requested 300 Information
Technology and logistics support personnel. Since the IEC did not have this
capacity, President Mbeki appealed to the private sector for such assistance.
The private sector has been very supportive in this regard and has eagerly
responded. These personnel will be deployed to the DRC from 2 July to 21 August
2006.
* The IEC has also printed a voter education booklet which has been approved by
the DRC government. This booklet is currently being translated into five of
their most commonly spoken languages.
* The European Union has decided to deploy a German led EU Peacekeeping Force
of 1400 troops to the DRC to bolster security during the elections. Only about
400-450 troops will apparently be based in the DRC while the rest will be based
outside of the DRC, in one of the neighbouring countries still to be
identified, as a rapid deployment force should there be violence during the
elections.
* Since this is the first time that such elections will be held in the DRC in
more than 40 years, the massive logistical and technical challenges should not
be underestimated.
* We are also anticipating that observers from all over the world, especially
the EU and Africa will witness these elections. This will assist in proclaiming
them free and fair which is what is required for the country to move
forward.

Middle East

* The continuing tensions in the Middle East are a matter of grave concern
to us.
* The recent attacks and the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier have created a
situation of grave danger and concern.
* The South African government has joined voices within and beyond Palestine
calling on the kidnappers of the Israeli soldier to return him.
* We are also calling for caution with regard to the situation in Gaza it is
imperative that the Gaza not be re-occupied by Israeli forces. There can be no
justification for such acts.
* We have sent a message to President Abbas and the Hamas led government
expressing our support for their attempts to resolve the matter
diplomatically.
* We continue to continuously monitor the situation through our mission in
Ramallah.

President Mbeki’s visit to Mozambique

* President Mbeki will co-chair the South Africa - Mozambique Economic
Bilateral Forum in Maputo on Thursday, 29 June 2006. He will be accompanied
by:

* Minister Mpahlwa
* Minister Radebe
* Minister Erwin
* Minister van Schalkwyk
* Minister Sonjica, and
* Myself.

This is a very important and unusual forum at Heads of State level since it
focuses primarily on economic links between the two countries. Issues on the
agenda of these discussions are expected to include:

* Migration, the implementation of visa abolition agreement, hours of
operation of the Lebombo-Ressano-Garcia Port of Entry and the Giriyondo Port of
Entry.
* Tourism and Environment, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, new
bilateral agreement on Fisheries and Marine and Coastal Management and the
Lubombo Transfrontier and Resources Area.
* Minerals and Energy, the Cahora Bassa project, the Northern Mozambique Power
Development Initiatives, the supply of additional electricity to Maputo, the
Pande and Temane Natural Gas Project.
* Transport and Communication.
* Agriculture.
* Finance, the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement.
* Trade and Industry, implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
on Economic Co-operation and regional integration.

We will off course do a fuller briefing next week.

President Mbeki’s visit to the 7th Summit of African Union Heads of State
and Government

* President Mbeki will lead the South African delegation to the 7th Summit
of African Union Heads of State and Government in Banjul, the Gambia from 1 to
2 July 2006.
* As you know, Minister Dlamini-Zuma is already there where she will attend the
Ministerial discussions in preparation for the Summit.
* The theme of the Summit is “Rationalisation of Regional Economic Communities
and Regional Integration.”
* As you already know, South Africa gives a lot of attention to the African
Union Summit since it is the major continental forum that is increasingly
playing a greater role on the Continent.
* Former President Konare, in his address to University of South Africa (UNISA)
on Saturday said, “many important issues will be discussed under the theme
‘Rationalisation of the Regional Economic Communities and Regional
Integration’, inter-alia, the subject of the Union Government for Africa, how
this could be achieved, within what time frames and what members must do to
achieve greater integration, the structure of the African Union Commission and
its relationships with the regional communities Africa is at a crossroads, if
African countries are willing to take the bull by the horns, then Africa will
not be the same after Banjul.”
* President Konare outlined the following as some of the key issues Heads of
State will have to deal with:

African leaders have strategic choices to make in confronting these
challenges. Since the majority view is that collective action is the preferred
option, what should be the model and the pace of Africa’s integration? The
answers to these questions must be found on an urgent basis, since time is
running against us. We must accelerate the pace of the integration of the
continent in order to be able to catch up with trends around the world. Africa
cannot become a full-fledged member of the global community without having
achieved its own monetary and economic integration.

The AU considers regional integration as essential for the transformation
and modernisation of the African economies in its Strategic Plan adopted in
2004.

Unfortunately, the process of regional integration is not moving fast. This
is because of the difficulties to co-ordinate and harmonise the requisite
policies. These difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that some countries
continue to be members of different regional economic communities (RECs). We
must therefore address the issue of overlapping memberships and try to
rationalise the eight communities presently recognised by the African
Union.

African leaders must take actions that aim at improving the co-ordination
and harmonisation of sector policies in Africa and support the creation of
networks that would facilitate the free movements of goods, services and
persons. In the process of economic integration, the African Union also gives
high priority to the development of regional and continental infrastructure
projects.”

Former President Konare went on to say, “I advocate for a model of
integration that is based on the principle of subsidiary. The main idea here
would be to identify some policy areas, which can be better co-ordinated and
supervised by a continental Executive Body. This requires, in the short to
medium term, the transformation of the current AU Commission into such an
Executive Body. It would be necessary for Member States to agree to surrender
or delegate some of their sovereignty in policy formulation and implementation
to the AU Commission. The exact form can be debated at some point. If African
leaders accept to transform the Commission into a Continental, Executive Body,
that body will have the authority to issue regulations and directives for
Member States in a number of policy areas.”

Some of these areas would cover policies regarding:

* Peace and security
* Good governance
* Social sectors of education and health
* Agriculture and food security
* Infrastructure and energy
* The role of government in the process of promoting public-private sector
partnership
* International relations, including trade and investment

Africa must also put in place an institutional framework, including the
establishment of Pan-African financial institutions that will be needed for the
implementation of policies in these areas.

* It is clear that the Commissioner has begun to indicate what the expected
outcomes from the Summit are.
* In addition, Heads of State are expected to deliberate on:

* Peace and Security Council on its activities and the state of Peace and
Security in Africa including African continental peace and security
architecture and the implementation thereof and status reports on conflict
situations in Africa viz. Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sudan,
Chad, Côte d’Ivoire and the Comoros.
* Special Summit of the AU on HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria held in
Abuja, Nigeria 2 to 4 May 2006;
* Special Summit of the AU on Fertilisers in Abuja, Nigeria 9 to 13 June
2006.
* Receive a report of the Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the
Reform of the United Nations*
* Receive a report from the Chairperson of NEPAD Heads of State and Government
Implementation Committee.
* Receive a report from the President of the Pan-African Parliament.

* Regarding United Nations Reform, it is clear that this Summit must emerge
with a clear position on whether to proceed with the Ezulwini Consensus and on
how to proceed on the matter of the deadlock on the matter of the veto and
Security Council reform.
* Summit will also commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights and witness the swearing in of the judges of the
African court of Human and Peoples’ Rights.

President Mbeki’s visit to Guinea and Niger
* President Mbeki will, on conclusion of the AU Summit, pay a Working Visit to
Conakry, Guinea and State Visit to Niamey, Niger scheduled on Monday, 3 July
and Tuesday-Wednesday 4 to 5 July 2006 respectively. President Mbeki’s visits
to West Africa come within the context of South Africa’s priority to
consolidate relations with all countries in Africa with a view to achieving the
African developmental agenda. President Mbeki is expected to hold bilateral
political and economic discussions with his counterparts, Guinean President
General Lansana Conte on Monday 3 July 2006 and President Mamadou Tjanda of
Niger on Tuesday 4 July 2006 during which discussions are expected to focus on,
among others:

*The status of bilateral political and economic relations between both
countries.
* The outcomes of the African Union Summit held in Banjul, The Gambia 1 to 2
July 2006.
* The consolidation of the African developmental agenda through the
implementation of New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD).
* African peace, security and conflict resolution including the forthcoming
elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the recently concluded
agreements in Burundi, preparations for elections in Côte d’Ivoire and the
situation in Sudan.
* The promotion of South African investment in Guinea and Niger.

It is clear from the following that economic relations in the region are not
being sufficiently exploited:

South Africa - Guinea Bilateral Relations

Year: South African Exports: South African Imports
2005: R236 million: R11 million
2004: R282 million: R10 million
2003: R333 million: R5 million

South Africa - Niger Bilateral Relations
Year: South African Exports: South African Imports
2005: R36 million: R1,7 million
2004: R30 million: R402 000
2003: R64 million: R3 million

Questions and answers

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, Minister Nqakula yesterday indicated that a
ceasefire agreement between the government of Burundi and the Paliphehutu-FNL
will be signed by the end of the week. There are however reports emerging that
the Paliphehutu-FNL yesterday walked out of talks and in addition, have
indicated that they feel threatened by South Africa’s mediation attempts.

Answer: Firstly; I am hoping that Minister Nqakula gave you a sense of what
the principles agreed to were and the two-week deadline for finalisation of a
comprehensive ceasefire agreement.

I personally have not heard about the walkout in any event, in talks of this
nature, there are often breakaways where groups discuss issues in smaller
numbers. I am also not aware that the Paliphehutu-FNL feels threatened by South
Africa’s mediation attempts. As you are already familiar, South Africa is the
facilitator of this process but works within the regional grouping consisting
of Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda.

Let me take this opportunity to highlight that many agencies report in a
manner that is attempting to scuttle the processes. For instance, a day before
we were scheduled to travel to Dar-es-Salaam with the President, all South
African media were reporting that the talks had failed.

Indeed, when we arrived in Dar-es-Salaam, we discovered that the processes
had faltered but in no way had they failed. And while the talks did take longer
than anticipated, an agreement was eventually reached.

Question: Deputy Minister, as you have quoted extensively from President
Konare’s speech, what do you anticipate are his outcomes from the Summit?

Answer: President Konare presented an overview of African challenges and
what needs to be done to address these.

It is clear that he is expecting discussions on many of the issues mentioned
and subsequently, outcomes and decisions.

He has also indicated it is clear that the structure of the AU Commission
must be revised. I hope that the Ministerial meeting will process many of these
issues ahead of the Summit.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, could you please provide more information
on the South Africa - Mozambique Economic Bilateral Commission?

Answer: South Africa has these economic fora at Heads of State level between
Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania.

These are not ordinary bilateral fora but special Commissions supported by
Economic Ministries. Heads of State meet for a day to assess progress in
economic relations. We have found these to be very useful since they assist to
identify blockages and remove bureaucracy often impeding growth in these
areas.

This sitting will look at the following:

* Migration, the implementation of visa abolition agreement, hours of
operation of the Lebombo-Ressano-Garcia Port of Entry and the Giriyondo Port of
Entry.
* Tourism and Environment, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, new
bilateral agreement on Fisheries and Marine and Coastal Management and the
Lubombo Transfrontier and Resources Area.
* Minerals and Energy - the Cahora Bassa project, the northern Mozambique Power
Development Initiatives, the supply of additional electricity to Maputo, the
Pande and Temane Natural Gas Project.
* Transport and Communication.
* Agriculture.
* Finance, the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement.
* Trade and Industry, implementation of the MoU on Economic Co-operation and
regional integration.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, who will head the South African observer
team to the DRC?

Answer: This matter has not yet been finalised. There will be a briefing of
the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the elections in the DRC tomorrow after
Cabinet. We hope the matter will be finalised then.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, what has been the outcome of the
investigation into the alleged coup plotters in the DRC, either in Pretoria or
Kinshasa?

Answer: At this stage, the South Africans allegedly involved in this coup
attempt are at home. We have however, received no reports confirming their
involvement or alleged involvement in the coup attempt.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, what will be done to address the security
concerns raised by some diplomats in weekend media reports?

Answer: I have heard that the diplomatic corp is preparing a petition to be
handed over to the South African government and this is clearly a matter for
concern.

We have also received reports that diplomats from all regions will be
meeting to determine a way forward to this matter although no petition has yet
been drafted.

The attacks against diplomats are viewed by the government within the
context of the increase of crime in general and represent a challenge that must
be addressed. The shoot-outs involving criminals and police officers on Sunday
and again yesterday clearly illustrate this.

Given our past discussions, I feel that the diplomats may be looking for
special government protection. While they all have engaged the services of
private security companies, they may now be looking for government protection
on a reciprocal basis as some of our Embassies abroad have host government
protection.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, we have received reports that President
Mbeki was rebuffed by President al-Bashir in Sudan over the matter of the
conversion of AMIS to a UN operation.

Answer: President Mbeki went to the Sudan to; in general, review the
progress and obstacles in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement. There are only a few years left before the people of Sudan have to
decide on whether to become of United Sudan and or split up into North and
South.

There is a general agreement at the AMIS has done a good job in fulfilling
its mandate, but given the logistics in the Sudan the lack of infrastructure,
hostile terrain, etc it clear that the AMIS forces must be blue hatted. In this
regard, we are pleased that the AU Peace and Security Council have taken a
decision to this effect. It is a requirement that unless there is a situation
of genocide or great unrest, that the host country must agree to UN
peacekeeping operations.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, there are reports that the UN
Secretary-General will hold discussions with President Mugabe on the fringes of
the AU summit. Will President Mbeki be part of this meeting?

Answer: It can be assumed that the Secretary-General will hold discussions
with President Mugabe since he is planning to visit Zimbabwe soon. And
considering the proximity of South Africa to Zimbabwe and the role we have been
playing, it is likely that President Mbeki will be asked to part of any such
discussions.

As President Mbeki said in London any initiative that can assist the people
of Zimbabwe to find a solution to their current challenges will be
welcomed.

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
27 June 2006