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President Mbeki and the South African delegation congratulated the Prime Minister on the outcome of the recent UK general election.

The South African delegation also expressed their appreciation of their visit to Scotland and to the Scottish Parliament on 13 June.

UK-SA BILATERAL FORUM

The plenary meeting of the Fourth UK-South Africa Bilateral Forum took place at No. 10 Downing Street on Thursday, 14 June. The Prime Minister and His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa headed the delegations. The discussions were in-depth and constructive. Separate meetings between South African and UK Ministers on the enhancement of co-operation between the two countries took place in advance of the Forum.

The UK and South African delegations agreed that the bilateral relations between the two countries were excellent. The meeting agreed that regular political consultations between the two governments on developments pertaining to Africa and Europe, Multilateral Co-operation as well as international issues of mutual concern, should be intensified.

The Forum confirmed that trade was a crucial component of the bilateral relationship between the UK and South Africa. It noted with satisfaction that in 2000, the first year of the EU-South Africa Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement, the value of trade in goods between the UK and South Africa rose to £4 billion, an increase of 40% over the preceding year. It noted that the UK was the largest foreign investor in South Africa and welcomed the Investment Conference held in London on 14 June aimed at stimulating further investment in South Africa. The Prime Minister and President strongly supported the initiative of the Commonwealth Business Council to create a private sector grouping known as "The Friends of Africa Business Group". Both sides looked forward to further liberalisation of air services between the two countries in order to enhance the flow of tourists.

MILLENNIUM PARTNERSHIP FOR THE AFRICAN RECOVERY PROGRAMME (MAP)

The Prime Minister welcomed the leadership taken by African countries in developing an action plan to address issues of poverty eradication and economic development, good governance, access to health and education services, and tackling HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases. He expressed his strong commitment and support for this new approach, which offers a firm base by which African and industrialised countries can work in partnership in pursuit of Africa's regeneration. The Prime Minister and President looked forward to these issues being addressed at the G8 Genoa Summit.

Both delegations noted positive developments in Africa over the last 12 months, including the constitutive Act of the African Union, which should ensure a smooth and gradual transition of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and African Economic Community (AEC) into the Union. The Forum urged the international community rapidly to agree to implement commitments made during the UN Millennium Declaration. President Mbeki expressed his appreciation for the growth in British development assistance for Africa, which has doubled since 1997 to more than 600 million pounds per year.

ZIMBABWE

President Mbeki and the Prime Minister exchanged views on the situation in Zimbabwe and expressed their desire to see a stable, democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe. They agreed that urgent steps needed to be taken to reverse the worsening economic situation.

The Prime Minister and President Mbeki agreed on the urgent need for land reform within the ambit of the rule of law, and which takes in account a macro-economic framework that is sustainable and transparent. In these circumstances, both leaders agreed that the international donor community has an important role to play in providing funding for land reform.

Mr Blair supported and encouraged President Mbeki in the latter's personal endeavours and that of his Ministerial Task Team to engage the Zimbabwean leadership in an effort to assist Zimbabwe in finding solutions to its complex problems.

WTO

The Forum confirmed the importance of a new round to trade negotiations within the World Trade Organisation. Both delegations agreed to intensify efforts with their respective European and Southern African partners and within the Commonwealth to obtain agreement at the forthcoming WTO Ministerial meeting in Qatar in November for the launch of a new round of trade negotiations on abroad-based agenda with a developmental focus.

HIV/AIDS AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Both sides agreed that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is both a major human tragedy and a severe challenge to all aspects of development in Africa. The British Government agreed to intensify its co-operation in support of the ongoing efforts of the South African Government to tackle HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, other communicable diseases and diseases arising from poverty.

BMATT

The Forum noted the valuable role of the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) has played in meeting the challenges of integrating South Africa's National Defence Forces (SANDF). The UK and South Africa also signed a formal agreement extending the BMATT's presence in South Africa until 2003, and agreed to explore ways of co-operating in the provision of training for conflict resolution.

WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM (WCAR) - XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCES

Both delegations agreed that racism was abhorrent and deplored its appalling consequences wherever it occurred. They looked forward to the World Conference Against Racism, to be held in Durban (31 August - 7 September, 2001) and the important contribution this conference will make to the global fight against racism, discrimination and related intolerances. Both delegations looked forward to constructive discussion of the key issues in the run up to, and at, the conference. They called on all countries to attend the conference at an appropriately senior level.

WORLD CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Forum emphasised the importance of the September 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg, and called for attendance at an appropriately senior level. They agreed that the Summit should produce forward-looking and concrete outcomes towards implementing the agreements reached at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and other UN Conferences as reflected in the International Development Targets (IDTs).

The delegations agreed that climate change and desertification were two of the most important environmental challenges facing the world today and confirmed their commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and agreed to work for its ratification and entry into force by the World Conference on Sustainable Development.

COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING (CHOGM)

The two delegations looked forward to a productive outcome of the work of the High Level Group on reform of the Commonwealth. They expressed their hope that the Group's Report, to be discussed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their Meeting in Brisbane in October, would enable the Commonwealth to respond effectively to the challenges of the 21st century.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The Forum welcomed the strength and range of existing collaboration in education. The two Ministers of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen co-operation in all sectors of education and training. They committed themselves to the Tirisano Fellowship Programme, which supports the development of South African vocational and college management.

We will build on the considerable work already done to create links between schools in the UK and South Africa utilising both exchange visits and new technology.

AGRICULTURE

The leaders agreed to co-operate in the field of agriculture, through co-operation in the field of plant and animal health, integrated natural resources management and rural development. Recognising that agriculture is central to economic recovery in Africa, to job creation, both countries agreed to further co-operate on joint initiatives and to encourage investment in agro-processing and value-added agricultural products.

SPORTS

Both parties agreed to pursue a memorandum of understanding regarding co-operation in the field of school sport, youth and recreation.

Conclusion

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the Bilateral Forum and reiterated their view that it continued to serve as a useful mechanism to further deepen the strategic partnership between the UK and South Africa. The meeting agreed to hold the next session of the Bilateral Forum in 2002 in South Africa.

Enquiries: Bheki Khumalo on 083 256 9133

Issued by: The Presidency, 14 June 2001