SA, Israel meeting 'a success'
9 September 2004
A South African delegation led by President Thabo Mbeki and members of Israel's governing Likud Party ended their first official meeting in Pretoria this week with both parties regarding the talks as a success, even though there were no significant shifts of position on either side.
Mbeki's administration has been a vocal critic of Israel, slamming its construction of a barrier on the West Bank. Earlier this year, South Africa supported a Palestinian case challenging the legality of the barrier at the International Court of Justice, which ruled that part of the wall should be torn down.
"We are concerned about the Middle East and very interested in peace", Mbeki said in welcoming the Likud delegation on Tuesday. "Peace for the Israelis and peace for the Palestinians."
"If we can contribute something, however small, to end this conflict, we will be very honoured to do so."
The two-day meeting was part of the SA government's Spier
initiative, which aims to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to agree on a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict.
According to The Star, Israel's left-wing Labour Party and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation have so far taken part in the initiative.
Roelf Meyer, who led the apartheid government's negotiations with the African National Congress more than a decade ago, was part of the SA delegation that met with Likud this week.
Meyer, who is also part of the Spier initiative, told The Star that it was a breakthrough that the meeting had taken place at all, and even more so that both sides had agreed in principle to meet again.
"Now for the first time we have access to both sides in the conflict", Meyer said, adding that the South African and Israeli delegations had developed, "if not exactly trust in each other, at least a respect for each other's positions".
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, both delegations "committed
to the need for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict", and "agreed to continue these discussions as they would be mutually convenient".
The meeting also agreed "that the respective departments of foreign affairs should further reflect on the state of bilateral relations" between the two countries.
Israeli Deputy Trade, Industry and Labour Minister David Ratzon, who led the delegation, said before that meeting that he was ready to discuss a broad range of issues concerning Israel and the Middle East conflict.
"It is a pleasure, privilege and honour to be the first official Likud delegation invited to South Africa", Ratzon said.
"We intend raising a few subjects, namely the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish nation, the Likud Party and the Israeli political map, conflict between Israelis and Arabs, the historical and political view from Israel, Likud's place in the political process, and Israel's relationship with Africa and South
Africa past and present."
The South African delegation included Ministers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Foreign Affairs), Mosiuoa Lekota (Defence), Jeff Radebe (Transport), Ronnie Kasrils (Intelligence), Charles Nqakula (Safety and Security), and Brigitte Mabandla (Justice), as well as Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad and South Africa's ambassador to Tel Aviv, Fumanekile Gqiba.
Former ministers Valli Moosa, Pik Botha, Roelf Meyer and Leon Wessels, and former Speaker of the National Assembly Frene Ginwala, were also part of SA's delegation.
The Likud delegation included four senior members of Israel's parliament and four senior members of Likud's central committee.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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