Sholain Govender
16 January 2008
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern left South Africa on Tuesday confident of strong relations between the two countries after a whirlwind three-day visit.
Briefing journalists in Pretoria on Tuesday, Ahern said his delegation had had a very good meeting with President Thabo Mbeki, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and other senior government officials.
"Relationships are flourishing and extending into the future," Ahern said in response to a question regarding the changing political landscape of South Africa.
Ireland was the only EU member state which did not maintain full diplomatic relations with South Africa prior to 1994, when the Irish Embassy was opened in Pretoria.
Ahern and Mlambo-Ngcuka said they had discussed a range of issues, including the possibility of involving state and private sector organisations in the development of both countries, during their morning discussion, and looked forward to formulating concrete plans arising from these talks in the near future.
"This is not the first time we have met on this platform," said Mlambo-Ngcuka, who held discussions with Ahern on South Africa's skills development drive last year. "We would now like to take this relationship to the next level. We have committed ourselves," she added.
The two also discussed SA and Ireland's ongoing co-operation in peace-keeping, Mlambo-Ngcuka said, "and hopefully we've made a small contribution and also learnt a lot."
Ireland regards South Africa's role as crucial in the management and resolution of the conflicts in the Great Lakes Region, in particular.
Ahern said he was confident that Mbeki was working hard in his role as the appointed South African Development Community facilitator between the Zimbabwean government and opposition parties, and that he was assured that processes were being put in place for free and fair elections.
He added that the Irish government was thankful to South Africa for ongoing assistance in the Irish peace process. "Over the past eight to nine years, many people from South Africa have been very helpful," he said.
On Monday, Ahern visited the Niall Mellon Township Trust in Mitchell's Plain, Cape Town, where he announced that the Irish government had approved a €5-million (about R50-million) grant for building township houses in South Africa.
On Tuesday, he also visited the Leratong Hospice in Saulsville, run by Irish priest Father Kieran Creagh - the first person in Africa to be injected with a trial HIV vaccine - who has worked with terminally ill patients in the country for 10 years.
Source: BuaNews
