21 January 2004

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will arrive in South Africa on Wednesday as part of his tour to strengthen political and economic relations between his country and four African states.

The Chancellor's three-day visit to South Africa forms the third leg of his four-nation tour. He has already visited Ethiopia and Kenya, and will follow up his SA stopover with a visit to Ghana.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Schroeder's visit aims to strengthen bilateral political relations, increase co-operation on labour and health issues, and consolidate business, cultural and sporting relations.

"Bilateral discussions between President Thabo Mbeki and Chancellor Schroeder are expected to include, among other issues, the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development", the department said in a statement.

Discussions will also focus on issues such as the Middle East peace process; the situation in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan; the reform of the United Nations; and the future of multilateralism, including the World Trade Organisation talks.

Mbeki is also expected to brief Schroeder on the restructuring of the Southern African Development Community and regional peace processes in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While in the country, the Chancellor will meet with representatives of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.

Germany is presently South Africa's largest import partner and fourth-largest export partner. German commitments towards development cooperation in South Africa during the past 10 years have amounted to approximately R2.3-billion in both financial and technical assistance.

In 2001, Germany ratified the SA-EU Trade and Development Cooperation Agreement, which governs trade relations with European countries.

German companies investing in SA include BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Siemens, Bayer and Ferrostaal.

Source: BuaNews

	Department of Foreign Affairs  Department of Trade and Industry

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