SA, Britain strengthen ties
Richard Mantu
23 August 2004
Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will on Wednesday host her British counterpart, Jack Straw, for the South Africa-Britain Bilateral Forum meeting in Cape Town.
The two-day forum will focus on aligning SA-British bilateral cooperation with an emphasis on delivery.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the forum was also crucial as it would be used as a platform to give impetus to the African agenda, as Britain will next year chair both the G8 grouping of industrialised countries and the European Union.
"British ministers have described this as a 'great opportunity to show leadership' and as a 'unique opportunity' to put Africa at the top of the international agenda," said Mamoepa.
Straw will confer with Dlamini-Zuma on how Britain can effectively support the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and the New Partnership for Africa's Development, and peace processes in Africa.
Dlamini-Zuma will stress that the G8 should concentrate on capital flows to Africa and identify resources to finance development on the continent, as well as accelerate the implementation of the commitments the G8 countries made in the Africa Action Plan in 2002.
The forum will also discuss the International Finance Facility, an innovative British 'frontloading' scheme to double global Official Development Aid flows to $100-billion by 2015 to finance the Millennium Development Goals.
The second review of the G8 Africa Action Plan will take place at the G8 Summit in 2005 in Britain, while the United Nations meets next year to review progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Mamoepa said the two foreign ministers will discuss how best to coordinate SA and British efforts in advancing the peace processes in the Great Lakes and Sudan.
Ministers of Defence, Finance, Health, Arts and Culture and Sport - Mosiuoa Lekota, Trevor Manuel, Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang, Pallo Jordan and Makhenkesi Stofile and other deputy ministers, will also participate in the forum.
Straw will be accompanied by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, Chief Secretary to the Treasury P Boateng, Minister of State for Health, J Hutton, and Minister of State for the Armed Forces A Ingram.
Source: BuaNews
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