British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Union Buildings, Pretoria
1 June 2007
President Thabo Mbeki
Ladies and gentlemen, let me first of all say a very warm welcome to Prime
Minister Tony Blair. I am very glad to host him in South Africa as he is about
to leave office.
I would really like to say we have indeed benefited a great deal from your
premiership and as you leave office, you leave the bilateral relations between
South Africa and the United Kingdom in very good shape in all respects �
political, economic, scientific co-operation, continued assistance with regard
to our development programmes, education, and indeed I am very glad and
appreciative of the role Prime Minister Blair has played in terms of
strengthening these bilateral relations. I was very happy to communicate this
to him.
Secondly, we have of course been inspired by the very strong and bold
positions taken by the Prime Minister and the British government on the issue
of the future of the African continent at a time when we ourselves on the
Continent were trying as much as we could, in a co-ordinated and united way, to
address these African challenges and we did indeed need such a very strong
voice of support which has resulted in the agreements reached at the Gleneagles
Summit and your intervention, Prime Minister, globally has helped to focus the
whole world on the African challenges and therefore given strength to the
partnership Africa wanted with the rest of world to help in addressing these
challenges.
In this context there are many things that have happened: your support for
the peace processes on the Continent, funds that have been contributed to the
African Union to address the peace and security challenges in Africa, support
for the African Mission in Sudan with regard to Darfur and so on.
It has really helped a great deal. Now, I feel that there is not anyone in
the world that would not want to put the African issue on the agenda and for
this I say thank you for your positions that have helped to raise the
profile.
You have come to Africa again � this will again serve to emphasise that
Africa should not be on the margins of what happens in the world but should be
the centre of the global agenda.
I must also say that your intervention, starting at Gleneagles, on this
matter of climate change has again raised the profile of this issue. I see that
globally, there is much better focus on this matter now than there was before.
Indeed there must be further discussion on this and decisions taken on the
matter. The positions taken by yourself and the resulting discussions at
Gleneagles have assisted greatly to move this matter forward.
I should have said, and I am sure everyone knows this, at the forthcoming
G-8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, the African matter will again be on the
agenda and this will give us an opportunity to assess what progress has been
made since Gleneagles and to see what further progress needs to be made with
regard to these African challenges.
It would be a good farewell gift to you Prime Minister if, indeed, we do at
Heiligendamm take the Gleneagles process further with regard to African
development and I would really like to hope that is what will happen. To this
we must attach the matter you have supported quite vigorously, which is of
importance to the African continent, which is the successful conclusion of the
World Trade Organisation Doha round of negotiations.
Again I must say thank you very much for the support on this issue. Indeed
the development round can potentially produce important results for the African
continent in terms of these development challenges that we are trying to
meet.
Lastly Prime Minister, let me say congratulations on what has been achieved
in Northern Ireland. You and I have been in touch with this matter over the
years. I am very glad to see on the television, Ian Paisley and others,
assuming new leadership of the government of Northern Ireland. It has moved
forward very decisively an issue that was unresolved for a long time.
I hope this will serve as an example to everyone else that no matter how
intractable a situation may seem it is possible to achieve a solution.
Again congratulations on this because as you know, we too have been
following up on this matter.
But of course there are some other matters that remain on the agenda. You
have raised quite consistently the need for movement on the Israel-Palestine
issue. This is a matter that will continue.
I really want to say thank you very much for the contribution you have made
in terms of getting all of these issues I have mentioned to move forward and
hopefully we will keep in touch.
Thank you and welcome.
Prime Minister Blair
Thank you Mr President and thank you for your kindness and warmth in your
welcome to me here.
Next week's G-8 Summit gives us an opportunity to take another big step
forward in the process begun at Gleneagles in 2005 on Africa and climate
change. The benefit of having such an international summit where not only the
G-8 countries but plus five, now including South Africa, and other major
players in international politics come together is that it provides a focus and
helps concentrate minds on the decisions that need to be taken. In respect of
Africa and climate change, I think we are at a very, very critical point.
I would like to say in relation to Africa, thank you Mr President for the
words you have said about my contribution, but I should also pay tribute to
what you have done in particular in conceptualising and shaping the New
Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad)process. I remember conversations I
had with you very early on in your Presidency and in my Premiership, in which
you emphasised to me that in the end the solutions to Africa's problems would
come from Africa. It is the duty and obligation of those outside of Africa to
give support and assistance but in the end, Africa wants to take responsibility
for its own destiny and future and you made a great impression on me in the
sense of wanting to get away from a relationship between Africa and the outside
world that was about donor-recipient based to one that was about partnerships
and equality where there are obligations on the African side as well as on the
side of the developed world and where we move together recognising those mutual
obligations are interchangeable because we all know that aid and debt relief
matter but so do conflict resolution, good governance, the absence of
corruption, and so on.
So in a sense, this very formative analysis which you gave me was what led
to us trying to develop a different way of approaching these problems. This
culminated in the Gleneagles G-8 Summit.
On that, let me make one thing very clear: first of all, some times, and
this is in the nature of politics, people either say something has happened or
nothing has happened. The truth is that since Gleneagles a lot has happened.
There has been a massive amount of money given in debt relief, there have been
increases in aid to Africa, but we need to do much more.
There has also been about a million extra people receiving access to HIV and
AIDS treatment but again, there are millions more who not have this. There have
been increases in the numbers receiving primary education in Africa but there
are still tens of millions of African children with no opportunity to receive
any primary education. Though it is correct that the numbers of conflicts in
Africa have been reduced, those conflicts that are still there are deep and
problematic and causing suffering for millions of people.
So, what is important is that next week in Heiligendamm at the German G-8 we
recommit to what was agreed at Gleneagles and we step up to the plate both in
terms of aid, help, combating the killer diseases, and in issues like conflict
resolution and peacekeeping and there are several proposals we were earlier
discussing that we hope we can get the G-8 Summit to agree to and obviously,
your leadership will be absolutely crucial in this matter.
On the matter of climate change, I think that again, there exists the
possibility of taking a major step forward. The important thing we tried to do
at Gleneagles was this: I thought for a long time that a low climate change was
a big issue, that it was important that people accepted it as a major issue.
There is a very basic problem: unless you get a global agreement that
encompasses all the main players � the United States of America, China, India,
Brazil, and the developing world that as a result of its growth will be
emitting more green house gases than before � unless a comprehensive global
deal with all the main players in it can be reached, then we will be unlikely
to make progress. You could have a hundred or more countries around a table
making a deal as with Kyoto but unless everybody is going to understand our
mutual responsibilities and step up to the plate and do something, you can have
any number of international agreements that will not deal with the problem.
At Gleneagles, we started the G-8 + 5 Dialogue which was the first time we
had all the main countries together with a proper structure for dialogue to
discuss how we reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. At Heiligendamm next
week, we have to take this a step forward: we will have to agree on the
elements that would go into a new global deal. In this regard, the speech made
by President Bush yesterday is very important because for the first time, the
United States of America is saying very clearly that it wants to be part of
such a global deal. Secondly, it is saying it will support a target for the
reduction of greenhouse gases and thirdly, it understands that the only way
that this will happen fairly is on a transfer of the changing technologies and
scientific development.
I think that next week is potentially a very big week indeed. We would only
say to those who question the value of such summits, I think that having the
G-8 Summit in Germany next week has been a great help in securing, for example,
a US$15 billion commitment by the United States of America in tackling HIV and
AIDS, the announcement by Germany yesterday that it will increase by �3 billion
its aid to Africa over the next four years, and the major step we have seen in
the last 48 years on the issue of climate change. We have an opportunity to
come together to make sure that the Gleneagles process is given impetus to move
forward.
Thank you Mr President for your leadership on these issues.
We have also gone through other regional issues � Zimbabwe, Sudan and had
good discussions on these issues.
I would like to conclude where you began which is on the bilateral
relationship. Thank you very much Mr President for everything you have done to
strengthen that relationship over the past decade. It is worth pointing out
that the two-way trade between our two countries today is something like ?6
billion a year. There is something like ?15 billion worth of British investment
in South Africa in 2005 alone. This is a huge commercial and trading
relationship. One of the reasons this is so is because over the past few years,
under your leadership, South Africa has prospered as an economy and is seen as
a great place in which to invest.
I think there are some very strong pointers there for the future.
I am certainly glad to leave our bilateral relations in a very strong state
as I leave office.
Thank you.
Questions and answers
Question: Prime Minister, (inaudible). With regard to climate change, you
said you would support a comprehensive global deal. Do you think the
commitments by President Bush are enough or will you be looking for something
more?
Answer: (Prime Minister Blair) I think in relation to the first point and
without going into what would be a PhD thesis in comparative regimes, in the
end what is important is to improve the conditions of the people of Zimbabwe.
The obligation of Britain is to do everything it can to help. I think people
also know that the solution is an African solution for Zimbabwe. This is why I
welcomed the work President Mbeki has undertaken on behalf of the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) and we wish it will.
We will do whatever is necessary to support what is needed to improve the
lives of the people of Zimbabwe. This is something that will in the end, have
to come from Africa itself, with the support of those outside.
In respect of what President Bush said, let's put this into perspective. I
want to see this matter go further than what President Bush laid out. But for
the first time we have the possibility of a global deal of which the United
States of America will be part, with a target for the reduction of greenhouse
gases and then of course, you have to go further to discuss how you are going
to go further, what are the right market mechanisms, how do you facilitate the
transfer of technology to the poorer countries.
From a position where a few years ago there was no possibility of getting
such a global deal, I think you can now see a pathway to getting such a deal in
the future.
I want to say one other thing because I know there has been some criticism
of the United States of America that it wants to host all the meetings, etc.
Personally, I think it is a good thing if America is as actively and closely
involved as possible. The nature of international diplomacy is such, if there
are international meetings where the key players are together, there is
accountability and responsibility. So again, this is something I think must be
viewed positively.
Of course I want to see this matter go further but I want to also recognise
how far we have come.
(President Mbeki) Let me add something on the Zimbabwe matter: you know of
course that SADC took some decisions on this matter to which the Prime Minister
referred so the position of the region is that there are political problems in
Zimbabwe that need to be solved. As a consequence of which a decision was taken
that we should help to facilitate discussions between the government and the
ruling party and the opposition in Zimbabwe to find a solution to those
problems. This process has started and we are indeed engaged in this
process.
The second decision was that there are problems affecting the Zimbabwe
economy. As a consequence of this, the region then said the Secretariat of the
development community in the region should gather and look at the Zimbabwe
economy with a view to reporting back to SADC on what might be done to address
the economic challenges of Zimbabwe.
You would know of course that President Mugabe was present at that meeting
and agreed to all of these suggestions so it is that a two-pronged approach
which seeks a solution to these two critical matters and indeed I did brief the
Prime Minister about this.
This is how we are proceeding and I must add to that the SADC region will
report regularly to the African Union (AU) in terms of our progress in this
matter. This is the African response to this particular challenge.
Question: President Mbeki, you spoke about the possible achievement of some
of the Gleneagles commitments at the G-8 Summit next week. What in your view is
the most realistic and likely outcome that can be expected in implementing the
Gleneagles committments?
Answer: That is very difficult to answer since you are asking me to make a
forecast and foretell what will be decided.
I think the position outlined by the Prime Minister is correct. We have
identified priority areas on which there must be movement and indeed there has
been movement whether in terms of debt relief or the infrastructure mechanism
at the African Development Bank, the investment facility, the climate facility,
etc. All of these things have happened including the ones mentioned by the
Prime Minister.
What has to happen at Heiligendamm, and has already been agreed to at the St
Petersberg Summit, is that we will then have to look at how far we have moved
in terms of the implementation of the set of agreements reached between the G-8
and the African continent and what more can be done.
I think the best we can do is to express our own conviction that what we
would like to see come out of Heiligendamm is movement forward on all of this.
I do not get a sense that there is anyone in the G-8 who is opposed to this.
The matters just mentioned by the Prime Minister in terms of the increased aid
from the United States of America, Germany and debt relief is a signal to that
kind of commitment.
So we want further movement with regard to all of these already agreed to
issues.
There must be a reconfirmation of this commitment, further movement and a
critical look at what has already happened.
This is the best I can say on this matter.
Question: Prime Minister Blair, you said next week's G-8 meeting is another
chance. I wonder, do you feel a sense of regret or failure that more has not
been achieved following Gleneagles? Secondly, tape has emerged of our kidnapped
colleague in Iraq � Alan Johnston. What is your view on the matter?
Answer: In respect of the latter question, I feel deeply for Alan Johnston
and his family. We are doing everything we can do to secure his release. I do
urge those who are holding him to release him. He is a journalist doing his
work. He is someone who is known for his independence and integrity and I do
not think I should comment on the video as such made in the circumstances in
which it is. We will continue to do everything we can and hope we can secure
his release.
In respect of the first question, I feel that as a result of Gleneagles,
Africa is now firmly on the global agenda and secondly, the commitments at
Gleneagles were not short term ones. There were to be achieved over a period of
time.
So, to take one example of HIV and AIDS treatment and access to that
treatment that we said at Gleneagles should be universal by 2010: in the past
few years with announcements of the American programmes, additional support by
our own country, this will mean that millions of lives will be saved.
I think that an immense amount has happened whether in aid, debt relief,
primary education, or combating the killer diseases and this was the spirit of
Gleneagles processes.
Take for example, the announcement by Germany of �3 billion extra over the
next four years. We asked for this to be done and this has been done. America
and Germany have made very substantial commitments in the last few days.
There is one other thing I would like to say, on the African side of the
agenda, the idea was to use the African Peer Group Review Mechanism, which was
spearheaded by President Mbeki, and this is being used now. Although you can
point to many challenges in Africa you can also point to what is 12 or 13
democratic elections that have happened in the last few years. This would not
have been likely a few years ago.
I am sure that if we take the right decisions next week and push the agenda
on again, that we will have made it clear that Africa remains at the top of the
international community's agenda and that commitments are delivered upon.
Realistically, I think we have come a long way from Gleneagles.
Question: Prime Minister Blair, with regard to Zimbabwe: South Africa has
been consistently criticised for its quiet diplomacy. The British government
has openly expressed its views through 'loud diplomacy.' I would like to know
what you feel Britain's policy has achieved and what you would have done
differently in your dealings with President Mugabe?
Answer: The honest answer to this is, my views on what has happened in
Zimbabwe, and those of my country's are quite well known.
However, the only thing that matters is what happens to the people of
Zimbabwe. The solution ultimately since no one is proposing any other is the
solution that comes from within this region of Africa. This is why we have to
put our efforts behind supporting the processes President Mbeki has laid out
and do everything we can to ensure that the views of the people of Zimbabwe are
heard and that they have a better future. I am attacked by both sides on this
issue � for not finding a solution and for intervening.
The most important thing is to help the people � we are doing so through
humanitarian aid and other ways. We will continue to do so.
The solution must come from Zimbabwe itself and we will support those like
President Mbeki who are attempting to facilitate this.
Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
1 June 2007
