at the occasion of the signing of an agreement between the government of the
Republic of South Africa and the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
concerning the status of Military and Civilian personnel of their department
and Ministry of Defence present in each other's territory for activities
related to Military co-operation and of an arrangement on a financial
contribution for the African Union Special Taskforce in Burundi, Pretoria
8 June 2007
Ms Geeskelien Wolters, Charge d' Affaires of the Netherlands and your
delegation
Special Envoy of the Netherlands for Africa, Ambassador Ed Craanen
Acting Secretary for Defence, Mr Tsepe Motumi
Acting Chief of the South African National Defence Force, Vice-Admiral Refiloe
Mudimu
Honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen
We are gathered here today in order to participate in the signing of two
important legal instruments. These are aimed at further consolidating the
relationship between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the
Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as strategic partners in ensuring
the attainment of the objectives and goals of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (Nepad).
It is always a pleasure to welcome representatives of the government of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, given that relations between our two countries date
back for more than three centuries. Prior to the attainment of our democracy in
1994, successive governments in the Netherlands had supported our struggle for
freedom. In addition, the people of Netherlands, through the Anti-Apartheid
Movement also landed weight to the solidarity of other nations the world over
in opposing apartheid.
This constrained bilateral contact between the Netherlands and the Apartheid
Regime in many spheres. Such isolation gave impetus to the realisation by the
then-South African Government that a society founded on principles of
oppression and exclusion, would never prosper. Relations between the
Netherlands and South Africa regained vigour during 1990 with the acceleration
of the dawn of democracy.
Further momentum was given to bilateral relations by the South African
Referendum in 1992, which sought to establish a framework for a legitimate
government, representing the common interests of its entire people. Since that
period, our relations have gone from strength to strength. These relations have
been particularly fruitful in the consolidation of our democracy, not only in
fields such as education, health, and skills development, but also in our
broader endeavours in Peace Support Missions of the African Union and the
United Nations.
Our partnership is not only key to supporting the eradication of conflict in
Africa, but also to our collective quest to contribute to post-conflict
reconstruction in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Burundi. Today, the peoples of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) are living and enjoying democracy to which the Government of the Kingdom
of Netherlands played a significant role when they provided funding for our
initial deployment in Burundi with Operation Fiber and for the integration as
well as refurbishment of the accommodation for the emerging Armed Forces in the
DRC.
The government of South Africa is mindful of the continued assistance of the
Netherlands in this regard. Both the Agreement and the Arrangement which we are
about to collectively commit to, will be instrumental in increasing the
requisite shared expertise, so desperately needed to realise the Vision of the
African Union on our Continent.
The Arrangements which we commit to here will be fundamental in furthering
the aims of our strategic partnership, and in reinforcing our shared commitment
to the values of democracy and good governance, as well as to peace and
security on the African Continent.
I thank you
Issued by: Department of Defence
8 June 2007
