Bi-national Commission
19 August 2007
Pretoria: South African President Thabo Mbeki will on Monday, 20 August 2007
depart for Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the South
Africa�Democratic Republic of Congo Bi-national Commission (SA-DRC BNC) where
he will together with his counterpart President Joseph Kabila co-chair the 4th
session of the BNC on Tuesday, 21 August 2007.
Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma who arrived in the DRC yesterday,
will today Sunday, 19 August 2007 together with her counterpart, Minister of
Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi, co-chair
the Ministerial meeting of the BNC scheduled for Sunday to Monday, 19 to 20
August 2007.
South Africa's participation in the fourth session of the South Africa-DRC
BNC comes within the context of its commitment to consolidate relations with
the DRC and to support the political, economic reconciliation and nation
building processes in the country.
The fourth session of the South Africa-DRC Bi-national Commission, the first
meeting of the BNC since democratically held elections in 2006, is expected to
evaluate:
* the status of Politics and Diplomacy co-operation includes the capacity
building project, the public service census project, population and immigration
matters
* Defence and Security co-operation includes security sector reform
projects
* economy, finance and infrastructure co-operation includes spatial development
initiatives, mining, geology and metallurgy, energy, civil aviation, technical
assistance in financial administration and agriculture
* social and humanitarian affairs which includes co-operation in the fields of
education, and humanitarian and health projects
* evaluate how current projects support the development priorities of the DRC
and the identification of possible additional projects to this effect.
South Africa's assistance to the DRC is informed by its vision of an
'African Renaissance' of peace, stability and security and sustained renewal,
growth and socio-economic development for the African Continent. South Africa
is committed to a strategy for post conflict reconstruction and development in
the DRC that is aligned with that of the African Union and the New Partnership
for Africa's Development (Nepad). South Africa's assistance to the DRC is
broadly based on 3 key areas as decided by Cabinet, which are: the Security
Sector Reform (SSR), Institutional capacity building and Economic
development.
For further information, please contact:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
19 August 2007
