FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER’S MEDIA BRIEFING
25 August 2004
Chairperson:
Minister N Dlamini-Zuma
Documents handed out: None
SUMMARY In her briefing, the Foreign Minister outlined South Africa’s foreign policy and the challenges that it faced. She explained that the focus remained Africa and outlined the different areas South Africa of troop deployment. She also outlined the various multilateral organs with which South Africa was involved.She announced the upcoming appointment of Deputy Director-Generals.
Journalists then asked questions about the recent arrest of Mark Thatcher, troop deployment in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nelson Mandela’s possible involvement in Sudan, support for Zimbabwean elections, and the treatment of African tourists.
BRIEFING Minister N Dlamini-Zuma addressed the media and began by saying that the cluster which addressed international relations covered a wide range of areas such as foreign affairs, economic affairs, trade, tourism, science and technology, and defence. The African agenda was still the anchor of foreign policy and interaction. Everything else revolved around this. The African agenda included bilateral and multilateral agreements with the rest of Africa, and with Africa and the world.
The main activity on the African agenda remained peace, security and stability on the continent. Post-conflict reconstruction was most important and the defence force therefore had a role to play in peacekeeping. There were a number of issues that had made this task difficult. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still had its problems and remained a concern. South Africa therefore had to work hard to see that the transitional government was strengthened. The recent massacre in Burundi was also a serious concern, although it seemed that peace process in this country was still largely on track. South Africa was also participating in Sudan as part of the African Union and as part of the Peace and Security Council. South Africa was still planning its role for a post-conflict scenario. Officials from South Africa had been to Sudan and Kenya to investigate the situation. The situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea was also a concern and the situation regarding borders had to be concluded. If this was not done, relations between these countries could deteriorate. The situation in Cote de Ivoire also remained problematic.
The above situations had meant South Africa had paid less attention to bilateral relations with other African countries. This had now been identified as one of the areas to be strengthened. The Department was planning to appoint a new Deputy Director-General in charge of the African Union and all the multilateral organisations. There would also be a DD-G to look after bilateral relations that addressed trade, economic and tourism issues. In 2003, six million tourists had visited South Africa. Of this, four million were from Africa. It was therefore important for South Africa develop this sector. South Africa also needed to re-examine its immigration rules so that they did not unnecessarily keep people from the rest of Africa out.
South-South co-operation was also becoming more important. This was not aimed at replacing relations with the North, but much could be done when developing countries worked together for competitive advantage. The aim was to get African countries to form preferential relations with areas like China, India and Latin America. This was not only important politically but also economically.
The Minister said that until the end of 2005, the major global dialogue would likely be on the reform of the United Nations, and South Africa would be involved in these discussions. There would also be the first sitting of the African Union Parliament in probably September 2004. It was important that the 2010 World Cup tournament be seen as an African occasion, rather just than a South African one, and discussions were taking place with the AU regarding marketing. South Africa would also continue its discussion with the World Trade organisation and its work in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). As Chair of the organisation, the emphasis was now on the DRC and then also elections in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia.
Other areas in the international spotlight was the fight against terrorism and the issue of weapons of mass destruction. In 2005, there would be a review of the non-proliferation treaty. South Africa had been very active in the International Atomic Energy Board. The Middle East also remained a focal point. Discussions around free trade zones would also continue. These would be discussion between SACU and China, USA and other countries. Gender inequality issues in South Africa, SADC, the AU and internationally also remained an important issue. Without the proper involvement of women in world affairs, the world would be poorer. She concluded that South Africa seemed to be doing well internationally.
Questions and answers A Jacaranda Radio journalist asked if the Minister thought there would be war in the DRC.
The Minister did not think that there would be a full-scale war in the DRC, but it was important to see that the transitional government worked. President Mbeki was expected to visit the DRC the following week to address the problems there - this visit had been arranged long before the problems arose there.
Cape Talk radio station remarked that the Scorpions had arrested Mark Thatcher that morning for complicity in the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea. He asked if the Minister could comment on this.
The Minister said that she was not aware of this arrest. If this was the case, the law would be expected to take its course as all people were regarded as being equal before the law.
The SABC asked for clarity around the funding of the AU, and in particular the African Parliament. Many felt South Africa was taking too much responsibility for this.
The Minister said that all countries had to take responsibility for the funding for the AU. There would always be a shortage of funds. The problem also lay in the fact that the budget was based on contributions to the former Organisation for African Unity (OAU). It was therefore important that a new formula be worked out for the funding. South Africa had to lead the way as it had the largest economy.
The SABC who was responsible for the Burundi massacre. The visit of the D-G to Israel was also questioned as it was widely considered a snub to the Palestinians
The Minister said that the massacre had destabilised the situation in Burundi. There were various rumours about who was responsible. The heads of state in the region had decided that the those responsible for the massacre had to be found. The Burundians felt that their territorial integrity was being violated. It was therefore important to resolve the crisis to prevent a repeat. The D-G had accompanied the Deputy Minister to Israel as he was visiting a number of countries in the region. South Africa was concerned about the Middle East crisis. In the light of the fact that the Non Aligned Movement had taken certain positions, it was important that South Africa consult with various countries in the region. South Africa had also had talks with parties in Israel to encourage the peace process. The visit was therefore a routine visit and was not a show of political partisanship for Israelis or Palestinians.
The Sunday Times newspaper remarked on the call for former president Nelson Mandela to get involved in Sudan. The journalist wanted to know if the government was doing anything about this. He also asked what SADC would do to see that all went well in Zimbabwe with the elections, and whether Mark Thatcher would receive the same protection as other nationals. Die Beeld newspaper asked about the challenges for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
The Minister said that she had had discussions with Mr Mandela regarding the situation in Sudan. At the time President Obasanjo of Nigeria was receiving people from Sudan to work out a solution. It was felt that this should be given a chance before Mr Mandela would intervene. Referring to Zimbabwe, she said that SADC had had a discussion on elections and had decided what was acceptable. This would make the matter easier as their decisions could be used as a guideline. She was not sure about Mr Thatcher’s status and it was therefore difficult to comment. South Africa however remained opposed to the death penalty.
Business Day newspaper said that there were concerns about the demands made on the Defence Force in its peacekeeping role. It was estimated that for every soldier away, five more were needed at home.
The Minister said that South Africa had a larger population compared to the other nations. It was therefore able to provide human resources and contribute to peacekeeping. She did not think they played a disproportionately large role, and it was not aggressive. Other countries had supported South Africa in these duties. It had therefore had been a joint effort and not purely South African expenditure.
The SABC referred to the fact that two third of the tourists were from Africa. He asked what was being done about people being stopped in the road under suspicion that they had come in illegally from another African country.
The Minister said that for tourists to be stopped in the street was totally unacceptable and should be condemned. South Africa should welcome visitors from other countries. Further debate was needed around immigration laws. A paradigm shift was needed where it would be made easier for people to come in with checks and balances to prevent criminals from entering. The idea that other Africans only wanted to come to South Africa to ‘take’ was incorrect and arrogant. In East African countries, no visas were needed for regional inhabitants, and this caused no problems. The media was also responsible to change such negative public perceptions.