African Union (AU) Summit, Accra, Ghana
29 June 2007
President Thabo Mbeki supported by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana
Dlamini Zuma, will lead the South African government delegation to the AU
Summit of Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled for 1 to 3 July in
Accra, Ghana. President Mbeki will depart for Accra on Saturday, 1 June.
President Mbeki will lead the South African delegation that includes
Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, within the context of South Africa's
priority of consolidating the African Agenda through, among others, building
the AU institutions.
In this regard, the AU Summit is due to discuss the critical issue of the
political and economic integration of the continent, on the basis of
recommendations made by the retreat of the AU Executive Council of Foreign
Ministers held in Durban in March this year. The issue of political and
economic integration has remained on the agenda of the African continent since
the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 in Addis
Ababa.
During his visit to Ghana, President Mbeki will participate in the meeting
of the AU Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) of the
New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) where South Africa's peer
review report will be tabled for discussion.
Furthermore President Mbeki will participate in the launch of the Pan
African Infrastructure Development Fund. The Fund is intended to help address
the challenge of access to capital for infrastructural development on the
continent and will provide a backbone for African growth and economic
development. It will help address the challenges of those regions of the
continent with huge infrastructural projects but without enough equity capital
to finance them.
Visit to Cote d'Ivoire
Following the conclusion of the AU Summit in Ghana, at the invitation of
Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, President Mbeki is expected to visit Cote
d'Ivoire on the 4 July ahead of the scheduled 'Flames of Peace' ceremony in
Bourke to mark the symbolic start of the disarmament process in Cote d'Ivoire.
The ceremony is expected to be attended by, among others, President Laurent
Gbagbo, President John Kuofor and President Blaise Compaore, who played a major
role in facilitating the Peace Agreement between President Gbagbo and Prime
Minister Soro.
For further information, please contact:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
29 June 2007
