Britain committed to Nepad: Straw
16 May 2003
British Secretary of State Jack Straw has pledged his country’s continued commitment to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), the African Union's socio-economic recovery plan, saying the multilateral programme would result in a peaceful and prosperous continent.
Straw was addressing the media in Cape Town on Wednesday night, at the end of his two-day official visit to South Africa, where he held meetings with Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as part of the bilateral agreement between the two countries, and paid a courtesy call to President Thabo Mbeki at Tuynhuys.
Straw said there was no reason why the priority given to Nepad by the G8 last year should be any less at the forthcoming G8 summit in Evian, France.
"We want to see further impetus on the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, and for our part, we are committed to the provision of £1-billion in direct bilateral aid to
Africa by the year 2006."
Delivering a lecture at the University of South Africa in Pretoria on Wednesday, Straw said Nepad's ideals of good governance and partnerships would attract trade and investment into the continent.
"Nepad's logic is straightforward. It recognises that if Africa is to thrive, then its future must be founded on the universal values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These are the real attractors and multipliers of trade, investment and success."
Straw welcomed the commitment of African leaders to bringing peace in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), pledging his country's support towards these initiatives. "In Congo, in particular, South African leadership has helped broker a peace deal. Britain welcomes the advent of the transitional government in Kinshasa - the capital of DRC - and we are ready to do what we can to support it," he said.
Straw said there was broad agreement between the governments of
South Africa and the UK on how to advance attempts to bring political and economic normality to Zimbabwe, adding that there had never been a difference of views in terms of the outcome sought.
"What we have now to do is encourage the parties in Zimbabwe to work more effectively together to reach a common understanding for the benefit of the people of Zimbabwe as a whole."
The next meeting of the SA-UK Joint Bilateral Forum will be held in South Africa in 2004, and is set to coincide with South Africa's celebration of the 10th year of its democracy.
Source: BuaNews
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