President and First Vice President in Khartoum and Juba
9 April 2007
Pretoria: South African President Thabo Mbeki, supported by Foreign Minister
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will pay a Working Visit to Khartoum and Juba, Sudan
from Tuesday to Wednesday, 10 to 11 April 2007 during which he will hold
discussions with his Sudanese counterpart President Omar el-Bashir and First
Vice President Salva Kiir. President Mbeki will depart for Khartoum on Tuesday,
10 April 2007.
President Mbeki's visit to Sudan takes place within the context of South
Africa's priority to encourage the full implementation of the African Union
(AU)-United Nations (UN) agreement on the hybrid force for Darfur and the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the North and the South.
Issues on the agenda of discussions between Presidents Mbeki and el-Bashir
and First Vice President Salva Kiir are expected to include, among others:
* the situation in Darfur within the context of the implementation of the
AU-UN agreement on Darfur
* the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and
the South
* post-conflict reconstruction and development in Sudan; in this regard, South
Africa is the chairperson of the AU Committee on Post-Conflict Reconstruction
and Development in Sudan.
President Mbeki is expected to depart from Sudan on Wednesday, 11 April 2007
ahead of his official visit to France where he is expected to hold discussions
with his French counterpart President Jacques Chirac on Thursday, 12 April
2007.
Economic Bilateral Relations
Trade figures between South Africa and the Sudan have increased in favour of
South Africa.
Exports: 2006
Amount: R463 992 000
Exports: 2005
Amount: R434 453 000
Imports: 2006
Amount: R2 571 000
Imports: 2005
Amount: R632 000
South African exports to Sudan include base metals, machinery, vehicles,
wood pulp, plastics and chemicals.
Imports from Sudan include vegetables, animal fats, plastics and
machinery.
It is expected that South African interests will remain centred around
sectors where the country has a comparative advantage, such as electricity
supply, infrastructure development (especially transport), telecommunications,
water purification and storage, agriculture and commercial farming and
assistance in terms of financial and related technological systems.
The Sudanese authorities are eager to involve South African parastatals and
private companies in areas of infrastructure development, with a real potential
of more opportunities such as the 'Global Railway Engineering Consortium'
contract mentioned above. Sudan is also expected to double its oil production
in the next two to three years, which in turn would lead to the demand for more
infrastructure related to the oil and petroleum industry, as well as transport
in general.
For further information, please contact:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
9 April 2007
