Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, at the Palazzo Del Quirinale, Rome, Italy
21 March 2006
Your Excellency, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Mrs Franca Ciampi,
Your Excellency, Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi,
Your Excellencies, Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Your Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corps,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
My wife, my entire delegation and I are truly delighted to pay a State visit
to the Italian Republic and thank you, Your Excellency, for your gracious and
kind hospitality.
On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, we are very pleased
to convey our warmest greetings to your Excellency, the government and the
people of the Italian Republic.
Today, South Africa celebrates the Human Rights Day and it is fitting that
we celebrate this important Day in the South African calendar with you in this
magnificent Palazzo del Quirinale. For it is with sincere gratitude that today
we thank the Italian people for your unwavering solidarity in our struggle
against apartheid which made it possible for South Africa to join the community
of democratic nations.
We have convened this evening on the occasion of this State banquet to bid
farewell to a great Italian, a great European and a great Internationalist as
he takes time off from a hectic life as a banker, politician and academic.
Mr President, you belong to that rare breed of people who in their youth
were confronted with difficult moments brought about by the evils of
totalitarianism and dictatorship. Together with many of your peers you took the
correct stand against fascism and fought heroically to ensure that succeeding
generations experience a life of freedom, democracy and justice.
Among these heroes are the more than one thousand South African soldiers who
as part of the allied forces lost their lives and today lie buried on Italian
soil.
Later, as an outstanding Governor of the bank of Italy for fifteen years,
you, Your Excellency, played a central role in the development of the economy
of this great country. You further consolidated this work as a Cabinet Minister
and Prime Minister and ensured that Italy occupies her rightful place as a
founder member of the European Union (EU) which today is one of the most
important political unions in the world and the largest economic market.
Through your words and actions, you have demonstrated your unwavering
solidarity with the African continent. Indeed, when you were conferred with a
Degree of Doctor of Civil Law by Oxford University in 2005, you said among
other things that the EU has particular responsibilities with regard to the
African continent "where the extent and urgency of problems requires increased
collaboration with the African Union and the United Nations in order to
stabilise crisis areas, consolidate the rule of law and fight
underdevelopment."
In the same address you also said, Mr President:
"I was born in 1920. I served as a soldier in the Second World War. I will
never forget the scourges of nationalistic rivalry and totalitarianism. As an
Italian and a European citizen, I feel the duty to point out especially to the
younger generations the value of the unity of our continent and the need to
continue along the chosen path."
It was clearly that experience of ânationalistic rivalry and
totalitarianism' that made you work so hard for the unity of Europe.
In addition and true to your resolve to fight underdevelopment, the first
engagement between the African continent and the G8 took place in Genoa here in
Italy in 2001, opening exciting possibilities of partnership for development
between the industrialised countries of the North and Africa.
Accordingly, I am confident that I am speaking for many of my colleagues on
the African continent that we will continue to draw on your experience and
wisdom as we work for unity and fighting poverty and underdevelopment.
Your Excellency, South Africa and Italy share many things; experience with
totalitarianism; internal divisions because of the legacy of past mistakes and
the courage to work for national and continental regeneration.
Accordingly, it is natural and logical that South Africa and Italy have
forged strong political, economic and people to people ties. It is indeed to
the benefit of both our countries that our relations are sound and are
constantly being deepened and strengthened through interaction at the bilateral
level as well as regionally through the African Union (AU) and European Union
(EU) and through multilateral forums such as the UN, G8 and others.
In this regard as you know Your Excellency, since 1994 our countries have
signed important bilateral agreements covering areas such as trade,
development, finance, investment, education, science and technology, transport,
arts, culture and sport.
Clearly, our relations were further strengthened by your memorable state
visit to South Africa in 2002. As we all know after your visit we witnessed
concrete commitments from Italy in helping us to create a better life for all
South Africans.
We therefore thank the Italian government for the important contribution
they are making within the framework of our partnership, among other things to
improve our information systems and develop our capacity for health care
planning and management at both national and provincial levels.
Indeed, to reaffirm our further commitment to this partnership, we are here
with a large and important business delegation. Clearly, we fully support the
initiative of Business Unity of South Africa (BUSA) and Confindustria in
forging closer links of cooperation through the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding (MU).
This partnership will be further strengthened when the President of
Confindustria, Mr Luca Cordero de Montezemolo, leads a delegation to South
Africa next year.
Again we are very happy that our partnership is also expressed through
engagements around women empowerment initiatives, with specific focus on
broader development and economic advancement of women ensuring skills
development, entrepreneurship and access to resources.
Your Excellency, as Africans, we are strengthened by the constructive role
that your country is playing in achieving peace and stability in the horn of
Africa. We reiterate our support and readiness to work with you on this matter.
Undoubtedly, we believe as you do that peace and stability are prerequisites
for development and prosperity.
We are very pleased to announce our readiness to host the African
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), an
important initiative within our programme of the regeneration of Africa led by
New Partnership for Africaâs Development (NEPAD).
In this regard, our Minister of Science and Technology will be visiting
Trieste to further strengthen our cooperation so that together we can enhance
our efforts to tackle serious infectious diseases on the African continent.
Further, we count on the support of Italy in our quest to house the square
kilometre array telescope, which will greatly increase the capacity of all
humanity to study and understand the very origins of the universe.
We have no doubt that our cooperation will continue to be strengthened in
many spheres and thank you, again, Mr President, for your warm hospitality. I
am confident that during your retirement you will regard South Africa as your
home from home where you will always find the sunniest and warmest welcome.
Ladies and gentlemen; please rise and join me in a toast to the good health
and prosperity of his Excellency, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Mrs Franca
Ciampi and to the excellent friendship between the wonderful peoples of Italy
and South Africa. To friendship and good health! To a blessed and happy
retirement!
Thank you.
Contact:
Mukoni Ratshitanga
Cell: 082 300 3447
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
21 March 2006
Source: SAPA
