A Pahad: Monitoring and evaluation media briefing July 2007

5 July 2007

President Mbeki's visit to Cote d'Ivoire postponed

The South African government condemns the assassination attempt on Prime
Minister Soros. As a consequence, the Cote d'Ivorian Flame of Peace Ceremony
scheduled for Bouake yesterday, Wednesday, 4 July 2007 has been postponed by
the government of Cote d'Ivoire. This Ceremony would have marked the launch of
the disarmament process throughout Cote d'Ivoire.

Accordingly President Mbeki's visit to Cote d'Ivoire has now been postponed
to a later date in July this year. The date of the Ceremony will be announced
by the Cote d'Ivorian authorities.

Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka to pay official visit to Kenya

South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will on Friday, 6 July
2007 depart for Nairobi, Kenya where she is scheduled to present an address on
the impact of HIV and AIDS on African Women at a Young Women Christian
Association (YWCA) hosted conference scheduled for later in the day.

Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka will participate in this conference within
the context of her chairpersonship of the South African National Aids Council
which promotes the vision of an HIV and AIDS free Africa.

While in Kenya, on Saturday, 7 July 2007, Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka
will participate in the official launch of the South African Broadcasting
Corporation's (SABC's) East Africa Bureau.

Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka is expected to return to South Africa on
Saturday, 7 July 2007.

Minister Dlamini Zuma to launch SA-Belarus Joint Commission

South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on conclusion of
the African Union Summit in Ghana, on Wednesday, 4 July 2007 departed from
Accra for Minsk, Belarus for bilateral discussions and the launch of the South
Africa�Belarus Joint Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic
Co-operation (ITEC) scheduled for Thursday to Saturday, 5 to 7 July 2007.
Minister Dlamini Zuma will be hosted by her Belarusian counterpart Foreign
Minister Sergei Nikolayevich Martynov.

Minister Dlamini Zuma, accompanied by Minister Buyelwa Sonjica and Deputy
Minister Rob Davies, will visit Belarus within the context of South Africa's
commitment to consolidate bilateral political, economic and trade relations
with Belarus.

Bilateral discussions between Ministers Dlamini Zuma and Sergei Martynov are
expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political, economic and trade relations between
both countries including areas of future engagement and co-operation
* Belarusian support for the promotion of the African agenda
* nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament
* the conflict in the Middle East
* co-operation between the two countries in multilateral fora including the
United Nations (UN) and the comprehensive reform of the United Nations.

The South Africa�Belarus ITEC was signed into law in August 2006 and will be
launched in Minsk on Thursday, 5 July 2007.

The ITEC consists of the following sub-committees: Minerals and Energy,
Science and Technology and Trade, Investment and Banking. These committees will
investigate further areas of co-operation between both countries.

During her visit, Minister Dlamini Zuma will on Friday, 6 July 2007 receive
the award of Honorary Professor of the Belarusian State University.

While in Belarus, Minister Dlamini Zuma is also expected to pay a courtesy
call on President Aleksander Lukashenko, meet with the Chairperson of the House
of Representatives of the National Assembly, and the Deputy Chairperson of the
'Belarusian Women's Union.'

Minister Dlamini Zuma is expected to return to South Africa on Sunday, 8
July 2007.

Bilateral Economic Relations

Since 2001, our bilateral trade with Belarus has been increasing but it is
our view that the potential for economic development and interaction with South
Africa remains significant, and has, and still could present South African
businesses with excellent opportunities.

Current bilateral trade as per Belarusian 2006 statistics is US$15 million.
South African imports of potassium fertilisers (main import), refrigerators,
flax fabrics and spare truck and tractors parts amount to US$6 million. Belarus
also exports fully assembled low cost agricultural tractors and large dump
trucks for the mining industry. South African exports of diamonds, veneer
sheets, organic chemicals, vehicle spare parts and capital goods amounted to
US$4 million.

We hope Minister Dlamini Zuma's visit will give impetus to our trade
relations with Belarus and indeed, other countries in the region.

Trade between South Africa and Belarus (all figures in ZAR):
All figures R' 000

Year: 2001
SA exports: 1 191
SA imports: 2 292
Total trade: 3 483

Year: 2002
SA exports: 1 841
SA imports: 6 260
Total trade: 8 101

Year: 2003
SA exports: 1 590
SA imports: 2 681
Total trade: 4 271

Year: 2004
SA exports: 2 410
SA imports: 20 246
Total trade: 22 656

Year: 2005
SA exports: 2 401
SA imports: 9 042
Total trade: 11 443

Year: 2006
SA exports: 2 806
SA imports: 12 315
Total trade: 15 121

Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad to depart on 4-nation visit

Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad and Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi
will on Friday, 6 July 2007 depart on a three-nation South American visit to
Cuba, Panama, and Mexico. The delegation will also visit Spain before returning
to South Africa on Thursday, 19 July 2007.

The South African delegation will visit South America and Spain within the
context of South Africa's priority to consolidate bilateral political, economic
and trade relations with Cuba, Panama, Mexico and Spain.

Cuba

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Havana, Cuba from Saturday to
Wednesday, 7 to 11 July 2007; during which Deputy Minister Pahad will together
with his Cuban counterpart Deputy Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez co-chair the
5th session of the Joint Consultative Mechanism between South Africa and Cuba
from Tuesday to Wednesday, 10 to 11 July 2007.

Issues on the agenda of this session of the Joint Consultative Mechanism are
expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between South
Africa and Cuba
* updates on the current situation in Cuba and South Africa
* perspectives on regional developments in Latin America and the Caribbean,
Southern African Development (SADC) and Africa
* areas of trilateral co-operation between South Africa and Cuba
* peace and security challenges in Africa
* developments within the Non-Aligned Movement
* the comprehensive reform of the United Nations and South Africa's tenure of
the non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council
* progress towards the 2008 African Union Diaspora Conference to be hosted by
South Africa.

While in Cuba, Deputy Minister Pahad will also brief resident Africa and
Middle Eastern Ambassadors on 'Developments in Africa and the Middle East.'

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will depart from Cuba on Wednesday, 11
July 2007 for Panama.

Panama

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Panama from Wednesday to
Thursday, 11 to 12 July 2007 during which Deputy Minister Pahad will hold
bilateral political and economic discussions with the Vice Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ricardo Duran on Thursday, 12 July 2007.

Deputy Minister Moleketi is expected to hold discussions with the Vice
Minister of Finance Orcila Vega de Constable.

Issues on the agenda of discussions between Deputy Minister Pahad and Vice
Minister Duran are expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between both
countries
* a briefing on developments in the Latin American and SADC regions
* increased South-South co-operation
* co-operation between both countries in multilateral fora including the United
Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 + China.

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will depart from Panama on Thursday, 12
July 2007 for Mexico.

Mexico

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Mexico from Thursday to
Saturday, 12 to 14 July 2007 during which Deputy Minister Pahad will on Friday,
13 July 2007 hold bilateral political and economic discussions with his
counterpart Mexican Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Maria de Lourdes Aranda
Bezaury.

Issues on the agenda of discussions between Deputy Minister Pahad and
Undersecretary Bezaury are expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between both
countries
* regional affairs in Latin America and the Caribbean and SADC and the African
Union
* multilateral co-operation in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and
the Group of 77 + China.

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi are expected to depart from Mexico on
Saturday, 14 July 2007 ahead of their visit to Spain.

Spain

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Madrid, Spain from Saturday
to Wednesday, 14 to 18 July 2007 during which Deputy Minister Pahad will
together with his counterpart Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernadino
Leon Gross, co-chair the 4th session of the South Africa�Spain Annual Political
Consultations on Tuesday, 17 July 2007.

Issues on the agenda of discussions are expected to include, among
others:

* an overview of the current status of and prospects for increased bilateral
political and economic relations
* the African agenda including:
- an evaluation of the Spanish Africa Plan
- post conflict reconstruction and development with regard to the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Darfur, Cote d'Ivoire, Western Sahara, Equatorial Guinea and
Somalia
- the outcomes of the recently concluded African Union Summit
- African Union�European Union relations with particular reference to the
forthcoming African Union�European Union Summit in Lisbon at the end of
2007
- migration

* the conflict in the Middle East including Israel and Palestine, Lebanon
and Iraq
* nuclear non-proliferation;
* an assessment of developments in the Latin American region; and
* The comprehensive reform of the United Nations and South Africa�s tenure of
the non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi are expected to return to South Africa
on Thursday, 19 July 2007.

Terrorist attacks in Glasgow

Statement by the South African government on the attack at Glasgow
Airport

The South African government condemns the terrorist attack which took place
at Glasgow airport in Great Britain as well as the attempt to explode car bombs
in London on Friday, 29 June 2007.

We again reiterate our view that no cause can justify such acts of terrorism
and indeed, such actions only serve against the causes perpetrators are hoping
to gain support for.

The latest acts of terrorism reinforce the view of the South African
government that we need a holistic approach to dealing with terrorism.

The international community must more vigorously implement the global
strategy against terrorism adopted last year by the General Assembly.

Release of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reporter Alan Johnston

The South African government welcomes the release of BBC Reporter Alan
Johnston on Wednesday, 4 July 2007 in Gaza.

However, the South African government reiterates calls for the release of
the Israeli soldier Shalit who was captured by some Palestinian groups in July
2006 and all other Palestinian and Syrian detainees.

We believe this will create a better environment for movement forward in
what is a very difficult situation in the Middle East.

African Union Summit

You are aware that the long awaited Grand Debate on the African government
in Ghana has now been concluded.

We are generally happy with the outcome of this Summit.

It has clearly been reiterated that the ultimate objective of the African
Union is the United States of Africa with a Union Government. However, we need
to do more as a process to achieve this objective.

Outcomes of Accra Summit

Accra Declaration:

The Assembly of the Union, meeting at its 9th Ordinary Session in Accra,
Ghana from 1 to 3 July 2007,

Recalling our decision Assembly/AU/Dec 156 (VIII) adopted in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia in January 2007 on the need for a "Grand Debate on the Union
Government" with a view to providing a clear vision of the future of the
African Union and of African Unity:

Convinced that the ultimate objective of the African Union is the United
States of Africa with a Union Government as envisaged by the founding fathers
of the Organisation of African Union and, in particular, the visionary leader
Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana;

Also convinced of the need for common responses to the major challenges of
globalisation facing Africa and boosting regional integration processes through
an effective continental mechanism;

Recognising that opening up narrow domestic markets to greater trade and
investment through freer movement of persons, goods, services and capital would
accelerate growth thus, reducing excessive weaknesses of many of our Member
States;

Further recognising that the Union Government should be built on common
values that need to be identified and agreed upon as benchmarks;

Acknowledging the importance of involving the African peoples in order to
ensure that the African Union is a Union of peoples and not just a "Union of
States and governments," as well as the African Diaspora in the processes of
economic and political integration of our continent;

Hereby declare as follows:

1. There is a need to accelerate the economic and political integration of
the African continent, including the formation of a Union Government for
Africa.

2. The ultimate objective of the African Union is to create the United
States of Africa.

3. We reiterate our earlier decision on the rationalisation and
strengthening of the Regional Economic Communities and the harmonisation of
their activities so as to lead to the creation of an African Common Market,
through the stages set in the Treaty Establishing the African Economic
Community (Abuja Treaty), with a reviewed and shorter timeframe to be agreed
upon in order to accelerate the economic integration.

4. We agree on the roadmap to attaining the Union Government as follows:

* To conduct immediately, an Audit of the Executive Council in terms of
Article 10 of the Constitutive Act, the Commission as well as the other organs
of the African Union in accordance with the Terms of Reference adopted by the
10th Extraordinary Session of our Executive Council held in Zimbali, South
Africa on 10 May 2007.

* To commission detailed studies on the following:

- identification of the contents of the Union Government concept and its
relations with national governments
- identification of domains of competence and the impact of its establishment
on the sovereignty of member states
- definition of the relationship between the Union Government and the Regional
Economic Communities
- elaboration of a roadmap and timeframe for establishing the Union
Government
- identification of additional sources of financing the activities of the
Union.

5. The outcome of the studies will be submitted to a Committee of Heads of
State and Government which will make appropriate recommendations to the next
ordinary session of our Assembly.

6. We agree on the importance of involving the African peoples, including
Africans in the Diaspora, in the processes leading to the formation of the
Union Government.

Done in Accra this 3rd Day of July 2007.

Comment by Deputy Minister Pahad: There seems to be general agreement that
the objective of the African Union government has been agreed to by all.
However, much work needs to be done before this can be achieved.

There are some countries who did argue that the establishment of five
ministries � Foreign Affairs, Defence, Health, Trade and Infrastructure
Development � would help us to move faster towards this objective of a Union
Government. This notion was however rejected by the Summit.

What is significant is that the Deputy Secretary General of the United
Nations, speaking on behalf of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the
Summit, underlined some of Africa's concerns when she said, "However, Africa is
still lagging behind the rest of the world in achieving our common development
objectives.

The challenges remain daunting:

* Overall, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Africa is
rising, although the increase has levelled off slightly since 1999.
* Child mortality rates have fallen, but only marginally to 166 per 1 000 live
births. This is nowhere near the objective of a two thirds reduction by
2015.
* Maternal mortality rates remain shockingly high. A woman in Africa has a 1 in
16 chance to die in childbirth or from complications in pregnancy, compared
with a likelihood of 1 in 3 800 in the developed world.

These stark figures should stir us all to scale up our efforts to achieve
the Goals. This year marks the midpoint between the adoption of the Goals and
the target date of 2015 by which we have committed ourselves to achieve them.
That makes it especially important for there to be more resolute efforts, and
deeper partnerships, to reduce poverty, to address the needs in health,
education and other sectors and to promote gender equality.

On the development front more broadly, the Secretary-General and I will make
specific efforts to ensure that implementation of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) is intensified. Against this background, the Secretary-General,
during last month's G-8 summit in Germany, launched the MDG Africa Steering
Group, which brings together the leaders of United Nations entities,
international financial institutions and the African Union Commission. The
Steering Group will work closely with donors and developing countries to
provide a vital new impetus for a continent-wide scaling up of
interventions.

The African Union Mission in the Sudan has had a significant impact on the
ground, but it lacks the capacity to meet the extraordinary challenges of
protecting civilians and bringing stability to Darfur. The Secretary-General
appreciates the collaboration between the United Nations, the African Union and
the Government of Sudan. We are pleased that the Government of Sudan has
finally accepted the African Union-United Nations hybrid operation. We must
urgently proceed with this undertaking. The deployment of the hybrid operation
will be unprecedented, and will constitute a new chapter in our joint efforts
to address the continent's peace and security challenges.

But we must also seek to resolve the root causes of the conflict in Darfur.
The African Union and the United Nations are working closely together to
reinvigorate the political process and bring a negotiated solution to the
Darfur crisis.

At the same time, we must not allow our efforts in Darfur to diminish our
resolve to take forward the crucial Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan as
a whole.

The adoption in the year 2005 of the United Nations Ten-Year Capacity
Building Programme for the African Union was followed last year by the
Declaration on 'Enhancing UN-AU Co-operation.' The Programme and Declaration
reflect our joint commitment to find more effective ways to advance peace and
security in Africa.

The United Nations is working with the African Union to develop a standby
force capable of rapid deployment. The ultimate objective is to develop a new
peace and security architecture that can contribute to preventing conflict and
maintaining durable peace on the continent.

It is heartening that the Peace and Security Council of the African Union
and the United Nations Security Council, meeting together in Addis Ababa just a
few days ago, committed themselves to the development of a stronger and more
structured relationship in the areas of conflict prevention, conflict
management and resolution, peacekeeping and peace building.

To more effectively address these challenges and the other pressing issues
facing Africa, the United Nations system is committed to working together in
ever closer partnership with you. Together, let us redouble our efforts to
advance development, to improve peace and security and to strengthen respect
for human rights on the African continent.

We have built a highly fruitful collaboration in a wide range of areas, from
peacekeeping to the fight against AIDS. Let us strengthen and replicate these
bonds as we strive to achieve our common objectives."

Another significant development at the Summit has been the launch of African
Infrastructure Fund on Sunday, 1 July 2007 at an African Union summit in
Ghana.

This fund was launched based on a decision that Africa should mobilise its
own resources for African development.

African public and private investors plan to finance highways, hydro-power
dams and other infrastructure through a continent-wide fund that puts hard cash
behind the goal of a more united Africa.

"This is a fund by Africans for the benefit of Africans," South African
Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said.

Ghanaian Foreign Minister Nana Akufo Addo, said the home-grown initiative
was a break from the tradition of African states "holding their hands out for
alms" from the world.

The fund's chief executive, Tshepo Mahloele, said mostly South African
public and private investors, including banks and pension funds, had already
committed $625 million to the first long-term equity fund of its kind in
Africa. "The goal of the fund is to raise $1,2 billion," he added.

It is our view that this initiative would provide long-term financing for
cross-border energy, transport, telecoms, water and sanitation projects. Other
investment instruments - quasi-equity, structured finance and high-yielding
debt - would be considered.

The fund, whose start-up investors include the South African
government-owned Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and Ghana's Social
Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), was now looking for more
investors and financing partners inside and outside the continent.

"We've got a lot of international interest. We've got the Singaporean
pension funds looking, we've scheduled engagements with American institutions,
and also some of the regular development finance institutions," Mahloele
said.

"We have set ourselves the next 12 months to get to the $1,2 billion,"
Mahloele added, saying the funds had made a point of obtaining its initial
commitments from African institutions.

"It is unlikely that we will get anyone to invest on the continent unless
Africans start investing themselves," he said.

Mahloele said the fund, which was based in South Africa but would open
offices in the main geographical regions of the continent, had more than 19
possible infrastructure deals in the pipeline.

Some of the projects under consideration included an airport in West Africa,
a toll road in Nigeria, a gas scheme in Namibia, a satellite covering the whole
of Sub-Saharan Africa and investment in the massive Inga hydro-electric dam in
the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Of our five top projects, what we call our A list, we're sure that we
should be able to close two within the next 12 to 18 months," Mahloele
said.

Countries such as Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana and Tanzania, were
looking at amending their legislation and regulations to allow national pension
funds to invest abroad so they could join the initiative.

Mahloele said the time was ripe for the launch of such an investment
vehicle, allowing African pension funds to invest resources on their own
continent and contribute to easing the region's huge infrastructure deficit,
which was hampering development.

Comment by Deputy Minister Pahad: This is a very important development
because for the first time we have an African Fund that will support African
development. We will use our own resources and partner with other agencies to
achieve our objectives.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

2007 Report on Progress towards Achieving MDGs

The 2007 report on progress towards achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDG) is pessimistic on Africa's chances of achieving the targets
overall, but notes that the number of extreme poor has increased only
marginally - from 296 million in 1999 to 298 million in 2004, despite a
population growth rate of 2,3%.

In addition, the proportion of people living on US$1 a day or less has
fallen from 45,9% to 41,1% since 1999; however, achieving the MDG target of
halving the extent of extreme poverty on the continent by 2015 means the pace
of reduction has to be doubled.

Significantly, once again, the report indicated that it is important that
developed countries meet their official aid commitments otherwise, even the
modest the gains made thus far would be eroded. "We do not want new promises �
the donor countries must meet, in their entirety, the commitments already
made." Only five donor countries have reached or exceeded the long-standing UN
target of donating 0,7%of gross national income being to development aid �
Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

As I have previously indicated, and what is now reflected in this report, is
that the reality is that total official development assistance fell in real
terms by 5,1% between 2005 and 2006, the first decline since 1997, despite
pledges by the G8 industrialised nations at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 to
double aid to Africa by 2010. It is therefore clear that we will not meet this
target.

Worldwide, the proportion of people living on $1 a day has dropped from 32%
(1,25 billion in 1990) to 19% (980 million in 2004). According to the report,
if that trend continues, the "MDG poverty reduction target will be met for the
world as a whole and for most regions."

Other signs of progress globally are an increase in primary school enrolment
� from 80% in 1991 to 88% in 2005; a greater number of women in politics and
government; a decline in child mortality, mainly through interventions against
measles, for example; a boost in anti-malaria measures; and progress against
tuberculosis, albeit insufficient to achieve the target of halving prevalence
and death rates by 2015.

Asia has made dramatic progress in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
halving the proportion of people living on $1 a day, according to the report,
and is thus comfortably on track to achieving the first MDG. However, this gain
comes with increased income inequality within countries and across regions.

In southern Asia, almost 30 percent of people still live on $1 day while in
eastern Asia the share of income of the poorest fifth of the population had
fallen from 7,3% in 1990 to 4,5 percent in 2004. Improvements in child
nutrition rates and gender equality in southern and south-eastern Asia were
also poor: southern Asia shared with sub-Saharan Africa the highest number of
maternal deaths and the lowest proportion of skilled health attendants at
birth.

Furthermore, gains made towards some MDGs in Asia would be limited by
challenges in other areas, such as deforestation, unplanned urbanisation, and
the fast rate of growth of HIV/AIDS in some regions, stated the report.

On the positive side, northern Africa is on track to achieving most of the
eight MDGs, with poverty rates down from 2,6% to 1,4% between 1990 and 2004;
income inequality the lowest among all developing regions; significant gains in
universal primary education, with enrolment ratios at 95 percent in 2005; and
child mortality down from 88 deaths per 1 000 births in 1990 to 35 in 2005.
Only gender equality and empowerment of women let the region down, the report
found.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Millennium Development
Goals

There have been some important developments within ECOSOC and this presents
us with another instrument through which to address developmental
challenges.

The South African government welcomes ECOSOC's bold new initiatives to
reenergise its functions and to rejuvenate its mission. It is now better
prepared for being the mechanism to devise and oversee development policies and
practices.

The creation of the Annual Ministerial Reviews and the Development
Co-operation Forum are important initiatives. The Ministerial Reviews will
enable the Council to better assess national progress towards the
internationally agreed development goals. The new Development Co-operation
Forum can help countries to better gear international development co-operation
towards achieving these goals.

The United Nations Secretary-General's analytical report for the Ministerial
Review, as well as The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007, "shows that
progress towards the Development Goals has been slow in some of the world's
poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, its main
message remains encouraging: the Millennium Development Goals remain achievable
in most countries, but only if political leaders take urgent and concerted
action.

Countries in Africa and elsewhere are demonstrating that rapid and
large-scale progress on the MDGs is possible. As this weeks national
presentations on implementation experiences will show, it flows from strong
Government leadership and sound governance good policies. It requires practical
strategies for scaling up investments in key areas. And it needs adequate
financial and technical support from the international community.

Experience has also shown that successful national development strategies
must be aligned with the MDGs through internal effort -- not imposed from
outside. Such strategies should be coupled with a broad-based and balanced
macroeconomic policy that fosters growth and employment creation. Decent jobs,
especially for women and youth, provide the strongest link between economic
growth and poverty reduction. Their generation must become a higher national
policy priority, along with related efforts to enhance productive capacity and
improve access to markets.

All of this will simply not occur without adequate financing, much of which
has to flow from a strengthened global partnership for development.

I cannot stress strongly enough the need for developed nations to keep their
promises. They have to meet the 0,7 percent official development assistance
target. Today, I urge donors to issue timelines for scaling up aid to reach
their target commitments by 2010 and 2015."

As they do so, they must also address the disparities in the global trade
regime, which handcuff so many developing nations. The world desperately needs
a successful conclusion to the Doha trade negotiations. Existing trade
barriers, agricultural subsidies and restrictive rules on intellectual property
rights reinforce global inequities - and they make a mockery of our tall claims
to eliminate hunger and poverty from our world.

The time to convert existing promises into actual progress is now. We must
convert the "global partnership for development" into more than a catchy
slogan, and turn it into fact, so as to address the most pressing development
issues of our day, from climate change to trade and aid. By acting now, we can
still deliver by the 2015 deadline.

That is the task facing this Council, as well as the entire international
system. I am confident that today's ECOSOC can and will come through, and
provide the leadership and guidance that we all seek.

For my part, I will spare no effort to ensure that the entire United Nations
system functions in a coherent, effective and efficient way for our Member
States, and for all the ordinary people whose hopes and aspirations rest with
us.

UN support for peacekeeping

The South African government welcomes the General Assembly's approval Of
peacekeeping operations' restructuring to promote effectiveness and oversight.
Peacekeeping is one of the key issues being discussed in the United Nations
Security Council and one in which South Africa is keenly involved. We believe
the new proposals that are emerging will enable us to more effectively use UN
institutions to deal with peacekeeping and peace building initiatives.

The proposals approved by the General Assembly include a restructuring of
the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; the establishment of a separate
Department of Field Support, headed by an Under-Secretary-General; a major
augmentation of working-level resources in both departments and in other parts
of the Secretariat; and new capacities as well as integrated structures to
match the growing complexity of mandated activities.

The approved reform package has been carefully crafted to ensure that the
two Departments, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department
of Field Support, will work in harmony, so as to provide unity of command,
coherence in policy and strategy and operational efficiency, while promoting
the overall effectiveness and oversight of peacekeeping operations.

Through this resolution, Member States have reaffirmed the importance they
attach to United Nations peacekeeping, and demonstrated their willingness to
substantially invest in bolstering the Secretariat's capacity in this key
endeavour.

The Peacebuilding Commission which was created which was created as one of
the reforms to United Nations operations proposed by the September 2005 World
Summit in New York to support societies recovering from the devastation of war
- had shown in its first year that the consolidation of peace must be based on
both national ownership and international partnership. The efforts to
consolidate peace and development must be based on the needs and perspectives
of the countries themselves.

The Commission has co-operated with Governments and institutions as the
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Community and the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference, to agree on modalities to ensure the
tapping of the resources and skills of civil society. Members of the Commission
had focused their first efforts on the challenges facing Burundi and Sierra
Leone, and the entire United Nations system would support the integrated
strategic peacebuilding processes for both countries, for which funding
envelopes of $35 million had already been announced.

The Security Council increasingly integrates the work of the Commission into
its own work.

The Commission recognises the link between poverty, weak State capacity and
conflict. It had ensured that its priorities included job creation, especially
for youth, capacity development and delivery of basic social services. By
making substantial progress in those areas the Commission could ensure the
sustainability of national peacebuilding efforts.

Mr Kenzo Oshima (Japan) is the new Chairman. Carmen Maria Gallardo Hernandez
(El Salvador) and Leslie Kojo Christian (Ghana) are Vice-Chairpersons for the
session that will end in June 2008.

South Africa believes that it will be important, in the second year, to
deliver tangible results, with the country-specific approach remaining at the
core, he said. Working methods should be streamlined as more countries were
taken into consideration and standard operating procedures developed where
possible. The Commission could also act as a focal point for best practices in
peacebuilding, and should take on cross-cutting issues such as rule of law and
security sector reform.

Effect of armed conflict on civilians

South Africa is deeply concerned about the effect of armed conflict on
civilians, especially women and children. International humanitarian law
demands the protection of civilians.

The Security Council Open Debate on Civilians in Armed Conflict took place
on Friday, 22 June 2007.

General Assembly Resolution 46/182, amongst others, highlights the important
value that humanitarian assistance should be provided in accordance with the
principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality and consequently that
assistance should not be given due to geopolitical considerations.

The debate highlighted the three main areas of concern: the targeting of
civilians and indiscriminate firing, forced displacement and lack of access and
security for humanitarian workers.

Other issues raised were that of gender-based violence and the necessity to
end the culture of impunity and the need to strengthen the protection of
civilians. Rule of law and judicial redress are key and greater participation
by women in all aspects of protection, including peacekeeping, would
substantially improve attitudes regarding sexual violence.

For the first time since 2002, the number of refugees worldwide has
increased surging to 9,9 million at the end of 2006 primarily because of
refugee flows from Iraq.

Issues that need action include: security for displaced persons and host
communities, ensuring access to those in need and a secure environment for
relief workers, strengthening the rule of law, protection of women and girls,
preventing recruitment of child soldiers, mine action, and action on
disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.

The South African government welcomes the increasingly widespread acceptance
of these principles, together with the existence of institutions and staff
specifically charged with monitoring and, where possible, ensuring their
observance was a huge step forward. This was in line with the General
Assembly's agreement at the 2005 World Summit.

South Africa welcomes the call on the international community to invest more
in conflict prevention, facilitating political solution through increased
mediation capacity and support to help resolve conflict and immediate
post-conflict measures to prevent rapid relapse into conflict.

We should avoid the politicisation of humanitarian assistance and in this
context, we urge the international community to not ignore the occupied
Palestinian Territory in Gaza. The Head of the Office for the Co-ordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian Territory said that the
humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip could worsen unless Israel ceases with
restrictions and closures at its border crossings with the area. South Africa
supports the call by OCHA for the reopening of Karni crossing, the main
commercial crossing point into Gaza.

South Africa supports the work of the International Criminal Court and the
various international tribunals and believes that all perpetrators, regardless
of nationality and geopolitical status, should be properly and fairly tried. It
is therefore hoped that addressing the challenges of protecting civilians in
armed conflict be done in a way that would increase respect for the principles
of international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, human dignity and
the legitimacy of the United Nations.

South Africa also raised the importance of co-operation and co-ordination
between the Security Council and regional organisations especially the African
Union to better protect and offer humanitarian assistance and the need to
include the protection of civilians in armed conflict in the mandates of
peacekeeping operations as is already the case with regard to the protection of
women and children in armed conflict.

Africa- European Union co-operation

European Union�Africa Summit

We are happy to report that Africa�European Union discussions towards the
next AU-EU Summit are progressing well.

This is indicated by the comments of the Portuguese Prime Minister, who
ahead of Portugal's accession to EU Chair said, "Portugal proposes to convene
the second EU-Africa summit in December. Europe has not had a structured
institutional dialogue with Africa for seven years � an incomprehensible
failing in European foreign policy. If there is one country that must take a
stand against this and do everything to overcome the situation, it is Portugal.
We were already central to the first, and last, Summit in Cairo in 2000 and we
want yet again to be the foundation for a new strategic partnership between
Europe and Africa, aimed at sustainable development, peace, combating endemic
diseases and a balanced and mutually advantageous management of migratory
flows."

You can also add to this the perceived challenge China proposes and an issue
that is high on the agenda of many European and American countries.

The Summits have previously not taken place because of the European
insistence to determine Africa's delegation, viz. the invitation to Zimbabwe.
We hope that this statement by the Prime Minister indicates that Europe is
committed to holding the Summit without determining who from Africa should
attend.

Another positive sign has been that the European Commission has announced a
new EU-Africa Strategy that outlines a long-term partnership that will focus on
trade, aid and position the 27-member EU bloc to access energy and oil
resources from Africa, has been unveiled.

"Sustained economic growth and political reform mean that Africa is
increasingly emerging as a key political player in its own right. The EU and
Africa are looking to strengthen their political partnership to embrace these
recent changes.

"To fully adapt to the new reality, the EU intends to take its future
relations with Africa beyond the traditional donor-recipient relationship. It
is hoped that a new strategy will be adopted in December at a joint summit in
Lisbon.

To this end, the EU commission has published its vision for the future of
EU-Africa relations:

* Beyond development - working together on political matters of common
concern and interest
* Beyond Africa - looking beyond Africa towards the rest of the world
* Beyond fragmentation - the African Union will be considered the central
political player
* Beyond institutions - dialogue and partnership will be taken beyond Brussels
and Addis Ababa.

The Lisbon summit will focus on a number of significant initiatives,
including sustainable and efficient management of energy resources; limiting
climate change (expected to hit developing countries the hardest); migration
policy; plans for a governance forum, and structured political dialogue between
EU-Africa leaders.

In preparation for the summit, commission President Barroso and Development
Commissioner Louis Michel attended the African Union Summit in Ghana on 1 to 3
July.

United Nations Security Council visit to Africa

Members of Mission to Africa Report on Visits to Sudan, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo.

With the Government of the Sudan having agreed unconditionally to support
the deployment of a hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in
the conflict-ridden Darfur region, it was necessary to build on the successes
achieved in Khartoum, the co-leaders of a recent Security Council mission to
Africa said as they briefed the wider Council membership on the week-long
trip.

"So far so good," Emyr Jones Parry (United Kingdom) said of Khartoum's
decision to allow the deployment after months of on-again-off-again
negotiations and mounting international pressure. While the improved tone of
the recent talks was a good sign, "we got where we are today by sustained
pressure for what we need to do in Darfur," the western region of the Sudan
where the efforts of some 7 000 African Union peacekeepers had been hampered by
a lack of equipment and funding.

To pave the way for the proposed 20 000-strong hybrid force, Member States
and the Council must work constructively with Khartoum to ensure the
deployment, he stressed, noting at the same time that the Sudanese Government
had rightly chastised the international community for not exerting enough
pressure on the rebels, who bore an equally large burden for implementation of
the plan.

Ambassadors Jones Parry and Dumisani Kumalo (South Africa), co-leaders of
the Sudan leg of the mission, confirmed that high-level officials in Khartoum,
including President Omer Hassan al-Bashir, had implicitly confirmed "total and
unconditional" acceptance of the hybrid force. The trip had begun on 16 June
with 'positive' meetings with officials at African Union headquarters in Addis
Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and had included stops in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire
before wrapping up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 21 June.

South Africa welcomes the major breakthrough and believes that the
outstanding issues are logistical. To that end, the Council had informally
discussed � and must soon address directly - a timeline for "who's going to do
what and when," while assessing duties and tasks for the African Union, the
United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Council
itself.

Senior officials from the United Nations and the African Union (AU) have met
with the non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) to discuss next
steps in the political process aimed at ending hostilities in the strife-torn
region of Sudan, the UN Mission in Sudan said on Tuesday, 3 July 2007.

Over the past week, the UN-AU Joint Mediation Support Team, led by the UN's
Pekka Haavisto and the AU's Sam Ibok, has held talks with groups based in North
Darfur and in Asmara, according to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

The team met with Eritrean officials in Asmara to discuss the next steps of
the political process as outlined in the roadmap presented by Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon's envoy, Jan Eliasson, which calls on all parties to cease
hostilities and prepare for forthcoming negotiations.

Together with Eritrean officials, the team also met with First Vice
President Salva Kiir in Juba in southern Sudan on 2 July to discuss the role of
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the political process.

Comments by UN Secretary-General

South Africa welcomes comments by the United Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon who on Monday, 2 July 2007 said there had been "slow but credible"
progress towards peace in the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur in the past
six months.

Ban said that Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir "has recently shown some
signs of flexibility" on the issue of a hybrid force of 20 000 UN and AU
peacekeepers, having previously resisted outside intervention.

Still, the international community has so far failed to show sufficient
resolve during four years of fighting in which the UN estimates nearly 200 000
people have been killed, and a further two million forced to flee their homes,
he added.

"The people in Darfur have suffered too much and the international community
has waited too long. It is now high time for us to take necessary action and I
hope the Sudanese government will implement faithfully the commitment they have
made," the UN chief said.

Ban said there were four main tracks that all players should follow to bring
peace to Darfur, namely humanitarian assistance; the hybrid peacekeeping force,
the political process with Khartoum; and the prospect of reconstruction and
development assistance in the post-conflict era.

These four aspects were reconfirmed by China, France, the United States and
some 15 other nations at a meeting in Paris last week, and will be reasserted
at a further meeting chaired jointly by the United Nations and African Union in
New York in September.

AU-UN Peacekeeping Force for Darfur

The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) met Friday,
29 June 2007 with potential contributors of troops and police to the planned
African Union-UN hybrid operation for the violence-wracked Darfur region in
Sudan.

The DPKO plans to hold informal discussions with the potential contributors
and then another meeting after the Security Council officially authorises the
hybrid operation and establishes a mandate.

Offers from African countries will be given priority but other offers will
also be accepted, especially if there are not enough suitable African
commitments.

The potential contributors were given a briefing on the requirements for the
hybrid force, which is expected to need almost 20 000 troops, more than 6 000
police and nearly 5 000 civilians at full deployment. The logistical challenges
of deploying in Darfur, a remote and impoverished region the size of France on
Sudan's western flank cannot be underestimated.

The current focus is on expediting the deployment of the heavy support
package, which is the second leg of the three-phase programme to support and
enhance the under-resourced AU Mission in Darfur (AMIS), he said.

"Most, if not all" the offers necessary have been received and now the
potential contributors have to visit Darfur to assess the situation to
determine equipment needs.

South Africa welcomes the Sudanese Government's unconditional support of a
joint AU-UN peacekeeping force in Darfur following talks with a Council
delegation earlier this month.

Now the Security Council will adopt a resolution regarding the establishment
of such a force, after which a budget must be prepared.

The challenges the new hybrid force � which will report to both the UN and
the AU � could face, the two organisations are "committed to working together
to co-ordinate their work so that the operation can work as smoothly as
possible."

Paris meeting regarding Darfur

A high-level meeting in Paris bringing together over a dozen countries
concerned about the situation in the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan has
helped generate additional momentum towards ending the suffering of the people
there.

Delegations from the world's top aid donors, members of the Group of Eight
industrialised nations and from China, a key ally of Sudan, met in Paris to
help find a political solution to the conflict and provide cash for
peacekeeping and humanitarian aid.

The United Nations is maintaining its focus on four distinct tracks � the
political process, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and reconstruction
and development in Darfur.

The South African government welcomes the observation by the
Secretary-General that considerable progress has been made with respect to the
deployment of the UN-African Union hybrid peacekeeping operation, as well as in
reinvigorating political dialogue among the parties.

The United Nations and African Union have developed a road map to
negotiations, with the objective of restarting peace talks by the end of the
summer.

Comments by French President Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy, the new French president, has urged the international
community to find a way to solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur warning that
"silence kills."

"As human beings, and as politicians, we must resolve the crisis in Darfur,"
Sarkozy said after hosting the meeting in the Elysee palace in Paris.

Sarkozy said the existing force of 7 000 AU troops, which is widely seen as
ineffective and is to be reinforced by the proposed hybrid force, must get more
funding. He said France was willing to contribute roughly $13,46 million.

The EU pledged an extra $41,7 million of humanitarian funds for "the coming
months."

Comments by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

"The international community simply cannot continue to sit by," Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice told reporters at the end of the one-day meeting aimed
at galvanising peace moves in western region of Sudan. "We really must redouble
our efforts."

"Those who have been around this for a while are going to work very hard
against backtracking. We have had circumstances in which we have had agreements
before and those agreements have not gone forward," she said.

Co-operation between UN and AU

There had been a working meeting between the Security Council and its
African Union counterpart, during which all the representatives had, among
other things, expressed the desire to hold an exchange of views at least once
every year and the shared understanding that, on peace and security matters,
the African Union would always be acting on behalf of the international
community and ensure that its actions benefited the work of the Security
Council.

The meeting also discussed how the United Nations could, on a case-by-case
basis, assist the African Union with regard to resources, particularly when it
was acting on behalf of the Security Council. This was a difficult and
sensitive issue, particularly since it hinged on financing and budgetary
matters that were decided, not by the Council, but by the General Assembly.
Also during the meeting, the African Union had extended the mandate of the
African Union Mission in the Sudan for another six months.

It is understood that, increasingly, the Council would have to look to
regional actors to help it maintain international peace and security. Therefore
if the African Union was delivering better peace and security in the region,
this was good for numerous initiatives and measures falling within the
Council's ambit, including in the areas of conflict prevention, peacekeeping,
post-conflict activities, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, and
security sector reform.

The delegation visited Cote d'Ivoire on 18 and 19 June. The top priority in
Abidjan had been to welcome the ownership of the Ivorian peace process by the
parties in the context of the Ouagadougou Agreement.

The delegation noted that the Ouagadougou Agreement had created a new
atmosphere in Cote d'Ivoire. Although it would not immediately resolve the
problems at the heart of the crisis, it had established a new dynamic towards
resolving them. Both the President and the Prime Minister had agreed that
delays in implementation had merely been due to technical difficulties and the
parties remained committed to implementing the Agreement's provisions. South
Africa calls on the United Nations to continue to assist during the electoral
period in the areas of security, international assistance and support for the
certification process.

There was great improvement in the security situation, and the commanders of
the neutral forces estimated only a 'minimal risk' of a return to hostilities.
However, remaining problems included high criminality, including many illegal
control posts on the roads, and lack of progress in the disarmament,
demobilisation and reintegration process. The Facilitator requested the Council
to agree to a partial lifting of the arms embargo to enable the police forces
to maintain law and order. Several mission members, however, had expressed
doubts about lifting the embargo, as security sector reform and disarmament
were still pending.

The Prime Minister indicated that a key challenge to address would be the
identification process. The mission was convinced of the need for continued
international assistance to Cote d'Ivoire.

The Mission visited the Democratic Republic of Congo on 20 June. South
Africa welcomes the Council's decision to extend the presence of the United
Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC),
while adapting its mandate to the post-transition situation.

South Africa remains concerned about the situation in the Kivus was caused
by the activities of the forces of Laurent Nkunda and former members of the
Forces armees rwandaises (FAR)/Interahamwe. The most pressing concern for the
Congolese authorities was a political and diplomatic solution without
completely excluding military action.

As for security sector reform, he said the police and army seemed to have
made little progress, despite the creation of some integrated brigades. The
mission had stressed the importance of consolidating any progress and of
establishing a truly professional army. It had asked the authorities to draw up
a plan describing the type of army the country needed, as well as the necessary
resources. The mission had also called on the Congolese authorities to take all
necessary measures to end atrocities committed by certain elements of the
national security forces.

He said the mission had also raised the question of relations between the
Government and the opposition, and stressed the importance of respecting the
latter's constitutional role. All parties must remain committed to the
political process and to national reconciliation.

Democratic Republic of Congo

The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) is taking measures to help the authorities bolster security in the
country's troubled eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, a spokesperson
for the United Nations said.

MONUC said UN peacekeepers, in co-operation with the Congolese Army, have
conducted some 600 patrols in the two provinces in recent weeks, including more
than half that figure in the course of last week alone as part of efforts to
restore security and public safety.

"UN peacekeeping naval units have also stepped up patrols on Lake Kivu to
stop illegal traffic of firearms between DRC and neighbouring countries,"
spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

The region has been the scene of insecurity caused by armed groups and
continuing military operations. On 26 May, a group of 10 to 12 militiamen
attacked the villages of Nyabuluze and Muhungu in South Kivu province, killing
18 civilians, among them women and children, and wounding more than two dozen,
according to MONUC, which condemned the massacre "strongly and
unequivocally."

Deteriorating security situation in Eastern DRC

International Committee of the Red Cross expresses concern over abuses in
South Kivu

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern
over abuses against civilians, especially women and children, in South Kivu in
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, saying it frequently receives reports of
abductions, executions, rapes and pillage.

Announcing an operation on 2 July to help 15 000 people displaced by
increased violence in the region, the ICRC said a large number of families had
fled their homes in the region.

"The ICRC is particularly concerned about abuses committed by armed persons
against the civilian population, usually women and children," said Patrick
Walder, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Bukavu.

The displaced are in the locality of Kaniola, 60 kilometres east of the
provincial capital, Bukavu.

"The operation has been made possible by a broader humanitarian effort
co-ordinated between several large international organisations working in the
country," the ICRC said in a statement. "That effort is covering the most
urgent needs of 55,000 people affected by the violence."

To support medical facilities struggling to cope with the influx of
internally displaced persons fleeing the violence, the ICRC is also providing
Walungu and Kaniola hospitals with medical kits to treat the wounded, and other
essential supplies.

The organisation said it would continue to monitor the security situation in
the area and pursue its dialogue with the local civilian and military
authorities.

"To this end it is maintaining a confidential dialogue with the relevant
authorities about violations of international humanitarian law, while closely
monitoring the situation of people displaced within the country," the ICRC
said.

Comments by Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

On 22 June, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs said attacks on civilians and clashes between Congolese and Rwandan
rebels had hindered efforts to reach affected populations in eastern DRC.

The attacks were mainly perpetrated by the Forces democratiques pour la
liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) rebels, who fled their country after the 1994
genocide, and continue to clash with the Forces armees de la Republique
Democratique du Congo (FARDC).

The head of OCHA in South Kivu, Modido Traore, said the situation meant
populations were constantly on the move. According to OCHA, attacks against
civilians reached a peak in March. Some calm prevailed thereafter, but a new
wave occurred in May.

One such attack left 18 dead in Nyalubuze, Muhungu and Cihamba, with 27
injured and four kidnapped. Leaflets were dropped giving warning of more
trouble.

Cote d'Ivoire

Security Council, in Presidential Statement, issues strong condemnation of
attack against Cote d'Ivoire Prime Minister's plane

South Africa supports the Presidential statement which reads as follows:

"The Security Council strongly condemns the attack committed on 29 June 2007
in Bouake against the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire,
Guillaume Soro, that resulted in several deaths, and any attempt to destabilise
the peace process by force. It stresses that the perpetrators of this criminal
act must be brought to justice.

"The Security Council recalls its support for the Agreement signed by
President Laurent Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro in Ouagadougou on 4 March 2007
under the facilitation of the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso. It stresses
that it is critical that all parties continue to work within the framework of
the Ouagadougou political Agreement, which is the way to settle the crisis in
Cote d'Ivoire."

Displaced persons need more help, says UN rights expert

Walter Kalin, the Secretary-General's Representative for Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs), after a five-day visit to Cote d'Ivoire called on the
international community and donors to support the programmes in place to help
returnees readjust to regular life.

He said, "Without money, there is no programme. Without programmes, there
are no lasting solutions and if lasting solutions are not found" [for the
IDPs], then the peace is also in jeopardy of not lasting.

He noted that some people have already started returning to the north and
west of Cote d'Ivoire, which has been divided between the Government-controlled
south and the rebel-held north since 2002, when a UN peacekeeping mission to
the country, known as United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), began
maintaining a "zone of confidence" between the two sides.

But many of these returnees have few resources and their arrivals are
placing a strain on local communities, he added. Female-headed households,
young mothers and widows are especially vulnerable.

"Displaced persons, even when they return to their homes, live in an
extremely vulnerable situation and they need continuing humanitarian assistance
during the transition period."

Somalia

We continue to be faced with a situation of escalating violence. The
Reconciliation Conference is still being held up and not progressing as quickly
as we think it should.

A positive development has been that elders from the dominant Hawiye clan in
Somalia's capital have met to consider co-operating with a fragile government
struggling to bring peace to the embattled country, but the future is fraught
with religious and clan differences that make stability only a distant
dream.

After two hours of talks on Monday, more than 300 Hawiye leaders suspended
their meeting for two days because they could not agree on who should
attend.

The government wanted the Hawiye at a reconciliation conference scheduled
for 15 July and envisioned as a chance for elders to deal with past clan
grievances.

Humanitarian crisis

Escalating violence in Mogadishu this month has forced more than 3 500
people to flee the Somali capital in recent weeks, the United Nations refugee
agency has reported.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also reported that only 123
000 of the estimated 401 000 civilians who fled the heavy fighting that raged
in Mogadishu between February and May have returned to the capital.

Even as people continue leave Mogadishu, they are returning at nearly a
tenfold rate. UNHCR said that while more than 3 500 people fled the city in
June, an estimated 33 000 returned there in the same period.

In another major new displacement development, UNHCR's local partners report
that some 10 000 people have fled violence between rival clans in and around
the southern coastal city of Kismayo.

Most of those unwilling to return to Mogadishu cite continuing insecurity at
a time when daily acts of violence are rising despite claims by the
Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that it has defeated
insurgent forces.

"These people say they will not come back until Mogadishu is completely
safe," a UNHCR staff member reported from the capital.

The latest fighting has left many civilians dead and injured from rocket
attacks, roadside bombs and crossfire, the agency said.

The UNHCR staffer said that some of the civilians who recently returned to
the capital are leaving it once more because of the insecurity. "Others leave
their neighbourhood to move to another part of the city because of persistent
bomb explosions close to their homes, especially in the north of the city. They
fear being caught in skirmishes," he added.

The TFG has to date evicted 2 000 people in order to restore the buildings
to public use. "These families are lost, they can no longer access the place
where they used to live and sometimes their houses have been already destroyed
by the authorities," said a local aid worker whose organisation works with
UNHCR.

He said these vulnerable people needed water, food and shelter. Many of them
also needed to find employment so that they could support their families. UNHCR
has asked the TFG to halt the evictions and to help provide basic services and
find alternative solutions for these displaced people.

Report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

In his latest progress report on the situation in Somalia, Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon says the TFG's efforts to secure key public institutions in
Mogadishu are continuing to face significant resistance from remnants of the
deposed Union of Islamic Courts and from various sub-clans of the Hawiye clan,
which is dominant in the city.

The rest of the country remains plagued by widespread banditry, lawlessness
and intra-clan violence, he adds in the report, noting the situation is more
volatile since tensions erupted again in the Puntland and Somaliland regions in
April.

He stresses that the UN system would continue its efforts to meet the
serious humanitarian needs across the impoverished country.

Mr Ban said it was important for the Somali transitional government to reach
out to opposition groups to ensure that Congress is as inclusive as possible,
adding he pledged to encourage troop contributions and other support to the
existing African Union mission in the country, known as the African Union
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Somalia calls for UN peacekeepers

The Somali prime minister has urged the UN Security Council to send
peacekeepers to his country, but council members told him they wanted to see
steps towards peace first.

Ali Mohamed Gedi said on Thursday, 28 June 2007 that Somalia wanted to see
the African Union's Somalia force, AMISOM, transformed into a UN mission.

"Somalia is at a critical crossroads and it is the right time for the United
Nations Security Council to assist in the maintenance of peace and security,"
Gedi said.

"It's not fair to say, 'Make peace and I will come and keep it', It's not
right to ignore or neglect the interests of the Somali people," he added.

Emyr Jones Parry, the British ambassador, said that the West supported
Gedi's government, but expected political progress before sending troops.

"We need to get AMISOM reinforced, and if peace is brought about and there's
sufficient agreement, the United Kingdom will support a UN peacekeeping
presence in Somalia," he said.

Burundi

There has been another breakthrough. As you know, the Facilitator Minister
Charles Nqakula on 17 June 2007 in Tanzania organised a meeting between
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza and leader of the Paliphehutu-FNL
Chairman Agathon Rwasa. President Kikwete also attended this meeting.

This meeting decided on a new programme of action. An agreement was reached
to move the processes along speedily.

It also ensured that a Forum was created to unblock obstacles that may arise
in future.

We are now confident that, following this meeting, the Joint Verification
and Monitoring Mechanism will become operational and that there will be a
speedy conclusion to the negotiations.

Central African Republic

The following Security Council press statement on the Central African
Republic was read out Tuesday, 3 July 2007 by Council President Wang Guangya
(China):

The members of the Security Council heard a briefing by the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, General Lamine Cisse, on the situation
in the Central African Republic, and reiterated their appreciation for his role
as head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central
African Republic (BONUCA).

The members of the Security Council expressed their concern at the
continuing volatility of the security situation in certain parts of the Central
African Republic, due in particular to banditry and the activities of armed
groups. They expressed appreciation to the members of the Economic and Monetary
Community of Central Africa for the action of the Community�s Multinational
Force in the Central African Republic (FOMUC), as well as to the African Union
and the European Union for their political and financial support. They called
on the partners of the Central African Republic to continue to support FOMUC,
as well as security sector reform in the Central African Republic.

The members of the Security Council encouraged the authorities to organise a
dialogue with all Central African political forces and civil society, in order
to consolidate peace and stability in the country. They encouraged the
Government to continue its discussions with rebel groups in order to restore
security to the whole territory, and called on these groups to act in
accordance with the constitutional and legal framework by giving up any armed
activity.

The members of the Security Council called on the authorities to fight
impunity and ensure the full implementation of the international obligations
that the Central African Republic has accepted concerning the protection of
human rights and international humanitarian law. They expressed serious concern
at the human rights situation in the Central African Republic and reports of
disproportionate use of force by Government forces, and condemned the
violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by
armed groups and also by some elements of the Central African Armed Forces.

The members of the Security Council encouraged the Government to continue
and intensify its efforts, with the help of its international partners, in
order to effectively fight poverty and promote sustainable economic and social
development, through a reform process based on good governance, in
particular.

The members of the Security Council recalled their readiness to examine the
deployment of a multidimensional United Nations presence in the regions of
eastern Chad and the north-eastern Central African Republic neighbouring the
Sudan, and looked forward to the upcoming report of the Secretary-General on
the basis of the contacts that the delegation he dispatched to Chad and Central
African Republic had in those two countries.

Middle East

The situation remains catastrophic. As you know, having military taken over
Gaza, the Gaza is now separated from the West Bank.

The new emergency government is trying to do its work.

Statement by Middle East Quartet

Following is the text of a statement issued by the Quartet (United Nations,
Russian Federation, United States, European Union):

Quartet principals noted that recent events in Gaza and the West Bank make
it more urgent than ever that we advance the search for peace in the Middle
East. The Quartet reaffirms its objective to promote an end to the conflict in
conformity with the Road Map, and expresses its intention to redouble its
efforts in that regard. The urgency of recent events has reinforced the need
for the international community, bearing in mind the obligations of the
parties, to help Palestinians as they build the institutions and economy of a
viable State in Gaza and the West Bank, able to take its place as a peaceful
and prosperous partner to Israel and its other neighbours.

To facilitate efforts to these ends, following discussions among the
principals, today the Quartet announced the appointment of Tony Blair ( United
Kingdom) as the Quartet Representative. Mr Blair, who is stepping down from
office this week, has long demonstrated his commitment on these issues.

As Quartet Representative, he will:

* mobilise international assistance to the Palestinians, working closely
with donors and existing co-ordination bodies
* help to identify and secure appropriate international support in addressing
the institutional governance needs of the Palestinian State, focusing as a
matter of urgency on the rule of law
* develop plans to promote Palestinian economic development, including private
sector partnerships, building on previously agreed frameworks, especially
concerning access and movement
* liaise with other countries as appropriate in support of the agreed Quartet
objectives.

As Representative, Tony Blair will bring continuity and intensity of focus
to the work of the Quartet in support of the Palestinians, within the broader
framework of the Quartet's efforts to promote an end to the conflict in
conformity with the Road Map. He will spend significant time in the region
working with the parties and others to help create viable and lasting
Government institutions representing all Palestinians, a robust economy and a
climate of law and order for the Palestinian people.

Tony Blair will be supported in this work by a small team of experts, based
in Jerusalem, to be seconded by partner countries and institutions.

The Quartet representative will report to and consult regularly with the
Quartet and be guided by it as necessary.

The Quartet looks forward to welcoming Mr Blair at its next meeting.

Comment by Deputy Minister Pahad: We will monitor progress in the mandate of
former Prime Minister Tony Blair. The South African government does not believe
that you can have reconstruction and development without peace and security and
that will not be possible until the situation in Israel and Palestine is solved
on the basis of a two-state solution.

Israel returns Palestinian funds

Israel has begun returning to the Palestinians some of the hundreds of
millions of dollars in tax funds it had frozen for 17 months, hoping to bolster
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, while isolating his Hamas rivals.

A senior Palestinian official told Reuters Israel's initial transfer was
$120 million, a fraction of the sum held by Israel.

Salam Fayyad, the prime minister in Abbas's government, chaired a cabinet
meeting on Monday to discuss how the funds would be used.

After the meeting, Riyad al-Malki, the information minister, said: "On
Wednesday we will start paying salaries to the public sector, civil and
military employees."

"We are delighted that the public sector will be paid fully for the first
time since February 2006."

Malki stressed that employees working for or allied with Hamas, which seized
control of the Gaza Strip last month, would not be paid.

Saeb Erakat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said some of the money would be
earmarked to help ease the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza
Strip.

"Gaza will be our priority. Our people there have suffered enough because of
the despicable coup d'etat and should not suffer more," Erakat said.

Humanitarian crisis

The United Nations agency tasked with helping Palestinian refugees on
Thursday, 28 June 2007 welcomed the opening of the Karni crossing point between
Israel and the Gaza Strip, which has allowed 5 000 tons of wheat to reach
Gaza.

UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
spokesperson Chris Gunness said it was now crucial that Karni is permanently
open and fully functional.

"If we are to avoid total aid dependency for Gaza, we need to get commercial
imports and exports moving," Mr Gunness said.

UNRWA and other UN aid agencies have been warning that Gaza faces food
shortages within weeks unless the border crossing points into Israel are
reopened after they were closed during the deadly intra-Palestinian fighting
that erupted earlier this month.

The Karni crossing is considered particularly vital as it used to handle 200
to 300 trucks each day and is the main commercial crossing between Gaza and
Israel.

The Erez crossing remains open to international agencies' staff and to
health referrals to Israel, while no interruptions have so far occurred along
the Nahal Oz line, which supplies petrol, diesel and cooking gas to Gaza. But
the Rafah crossing � the main crossing for people � has been closed since 10
June, and an estimated 5 000 Palestinians are waiting at the Egyptian border to
return to their homes in Gaza.

The Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said UN
agencies are currently meeting the basic needs of the Gaza Strip's estimated
1,4 million residents, with about 80 to 90 trucks carrying relief supplies able
to enter the territory daily.

But there is still a long way to go, Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said
today.

"Everyone is working hard on this and I welcome the news of our increased
capacity to deliver urgently-needed aid in Gaza, but I cannot over-emphasise
the importance of ensuring the resumption of full-scale supplies through the
main crossing points and beginning to open up regular economic access too."

Since the crisis began in the Gaza Strip, the UN World Food Programme (WFP)
has reported that there are 100 000 additional recipients of food aid in the
crowded territory. The Programme helps about 377 000 people in Gaza, while
UNRWA provides food assistance to some 860 000 others there.

Comment by Deputy Minister Pahad: we will try to see how the South African
government can assist the Palestinians find some unity amongst themselves so
they can get on with the major task of seeking a two-state solution.

Nuclear non-proliferation: Iran

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in an interview on 27 June 2007
said the Security Council should let the Vienna-based International Atomic
Energy Agency work toward a resolution of the dispute over Iran's nuclear
development programme.

"This must be resolved through political negotiations, through dialogue,"
Ban said. When IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei "says he wants to have a
plan of action and engage in dialogue, I support that kind of initiative," he
said.

Inspectors are preparing to travel to Iran at the invitation of the
country's top security chief for negotiations on what the IAEA called a plan
"for resolving outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear programme."

Questions and answers

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, did President Mbeki brief SADC leaders at
the African Union Summit? If not, when does he intend to do so?

Answer: It was expected that President Mbeki would use the opportunity of
the presence of SADC leaders at the AU Summit to brief them on developments in
the mediation process. I was not there and our delegation has not yet returned
but I do believe that President Mbeki would of as planned, briefed SADC Heads
of State on the Facilitation thus far.

I will brief you further when I next speak to you.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, you met with the Iranian Deputy Foreign
Minister yesterday. Did he use this opportunity to seek an assurance of South
Africa's position should this matter come before the Security Council
again?

Answer: The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister was here to attend a legal
conference being held in Cape Town. He is the Deputy Minister in charge of
multilateral organisations.

He basically briefed us on the talks between the Iranian Chief Negotiator
Larijani and EU Policy Chief Javier Solana. They have now had three talks. The
Iranians are saying that they are willing to resolve all outstanding issues
within the framework of the IAEA. However, because of their parliamentary
decision, they cannot co-operate with the IAEA even on the implementation of
the additional protocol, a voluntary mechanism they have signed, unless there
is a stop to efforts to put another resolution before the Security Council.

They have told the European Union that they need to make all the necessary
preparations to finalise discussions with the IAEA within their 60 days cooling
off period.

As you know, they have said that taking the matter to the Security Council
has not assisted in any way. In fact it has only made matters worse. What began
with trying to find a compromise 20 centrifuges has now been escalated and they
are now on 168 centrifuges.

They have consistently said the threat of sanctions is something they have
had to take into account but they have made the necessary preparations should
this happen.

They are firm in their position that this should not be taken to the
Security Council unless the other processes within the IAEA have been
completed.

Question: Deputy Minister Pahad, there are reports that the Portuguese
Foreign Minister has said there could be some difficulty on the attendance of
President Mugabe at the Summit later this year. Is the African position
completely intractable on this matter?

Answer: This is a very important conference that has been held up since
Cairo on precisely this point. Our view is that nothing stops an item being
placed on the agenda but I think that Africa will not move on its position that
you cannot determine the African delegation to the Summit. There is a concern
that if this is so, a precedent will be set and it can be another country in
the future. If we allow this to happen, we will not be able to have a united
approach in our dealing with the Europeans on many many fundamental issues. We
do hope this matter will be handled sensitively.

I do think the Foreign Minister has clarified that this would be his view
but is not that of the organising committee as a whole.

Question: Deputy Minister, how concerned are you regarding the economic
decline of Zimbabwe?

Answer: All the reports are indicating there is a serious problem. The SADC
Executive Secretary was here last week during which he briefed us on the second
part of the mandate given to the SADC Secretariat by the Extraordinary Summit �
i.e. the visit by the Secretariat to assess and report on the economic
crisis.

By and large, there are indications that inflation stands at 5 000%, the
currency has for all intents and purposes collapsed, there is no new inward
investments excepting in some sectors like mining, unemployment is rising.

The Reserve Bank Governor in December 2006 highlighted the crisis of the
economy which has now been exacerbated.

We are concerned that the economic situation in not in the interests of the
people of Zimbabwe. SADC's mandate to help to address this situation becomes
very urgent.

This is a separate process to our political facilitation process. We did ask
the Executive Secretary to go to the AU Summit to brief the SADC leaders on the
plans he is proposing to deal with the economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

So, we are concerned.

Question: Deputy Minister, do you have any idea on how many Zimbabweans are
in South Africa?

Answer: This figure is not scientific and continues to increase. The last
figure I heard, although I am not sure on what basis this is calculated, is
that there are three million undocumented Zimbabweans in South Africa. This
does not account for the professionals and entrepreneurs who are coming in with
the correct documentation and working in South African sectors.

It is quite high anyway.

This is why, for South Africa, the resolution to the Zimbabwean political,
economic and social situation is critical. South Africa is affected by this and
we cannot prevent Zimbabweans from entering South Africa.

Question: Deputy Minister, are there any key developments re: Western
Sahara?

Answer: As I said last time, the first meeting has taken place between
Polisario, representatives of the Moroccan government, Mauritania and
Algeria.

The Secretary-General has said that there is expected to be a follow up
later this week.

We will brief you further when there is any movement.

Clearly, the Secretary-General will put out a report on this matter in the
next few days and this matter is being discussed within the Security
Council.

Question: Deputy Minister, when will the peer review report be released?

Answer: You should raise the matter with Minister Moleketi since she is the
line function Minister.

The process of the peer review is that: experts peer review a country. This
is then submitted to the host country for comments and is then sent back to the
experts. For the first time we have had a consensus and this was the report
presented in Ghana.

I have seen in the media today that the report can be released within 6
months.

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
5 July 2007