Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers' Meeting
20 March 2007
South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma today, Tuesday, 20
March, concluded her visit to Norway where she led a South African delegation
including Foreign Affairs Director-General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba and South
Africa's Ambassador to Norway, Ismail Coovadia to the Nordic-Africa Ministerial
Consultative Forum held in Oslo from Monday to Tuesday, 19 to 20 March
2007.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Ministers from South Africa, Senegal,
Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Zambia,
Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland. The meeting discussed peace and
security challenges in Africa, climate change and United Nations (UN)
issues.
In this regard, South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma led
the discussions on peace and security challenges in Africa focusing on the role
of the African Union (AU), improving relations between the UN Security Council
and the African Union Peace and Security Council including a focus on specific
conflict areas in the continent of Africa.
On the other hand Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store addressed the
Forum on climate change and its impact on the African continent in the main,
whilst the Tanzanian Foreign Minister led discussions on the United Nations
issues.
At the conclusion of the Nordic-Africa Consultative Forum, Minister Dlamini
Zuma attended the Global Health and Foreign Policy Initiative meeting of
Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Senegal, Sweden and France
which was hosted by the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Store to discuss the
following:
* the presentation of the main outline of the draft political declaration
and the draft agenda for action
* adoption of the "Foreign Policy taking up the challenges of global
health"
* adoption of the Oslo Ministerial Declaration "global health, a pressing
foreign policy issue of our time"
* adopt a proposed roadmap on global health and Foreign Policy.
Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
20 March 2007
Source: SAPA
