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Honourable Minister E Nghimtina, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Namibia
Honourable Minister J Ekandjo, Minister of Home Affairs
Honourable Minister APT Tsheehama, Director-General for National Intelligence
His Excellency W Hellao, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia to South Africa
My fellow Minister-colleagues
Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General
Senior officers and officials of both delegations

On behalf of the South African delegation it is my honour and pleasure to welcome you to Pretoria for this occasion of the third session of the South Africa/Namibia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security. Since its establishment, the Joint Commission has become a common expression of what we both wish to be - friendly neighbours and partners in progress.

Our History

At the start of these gatherings it is important to remind ourselves that our links are historical, dating back to 1915, when South African forces invaded the then German South West Africa.

The mutual interests and aspirations of the majority of the people of both countries have developed since then, from the wars for liberation, to the emergence of our respective democracies in 1990 and 1994. The people of South Africa and Namibia have always had a common purpose, united by dreams of peace and stability in our respective countries, and the Southern African sub-region as a whole.

In recent years we have recognised the importance of a collective approach to economic prosperity. This has been realised, firstly, through our joint participation in multilateral regional initiatives like the South African Customs Union (SACU), the South African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and those institutions under the auspices of the United Nations.

Secondly, the bilateral approach has proved to be equally important to all of us in this region. The intimacy, focus and attention to detail of a 'two-country model' affords either side a strong chance of delivery on its objectives.

In the case of South Africa and Namibia, our relations today are marked, at the highest level, by the regular Heads of State economic bilateral meetings, held between President Mbeki and President Nujoma. The last such meeting was in August 2003, where an agreement on the establishment of the Ai-Ai/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park was signed.

However, world history has taught us that neither multilateral nor bilateral economic initiatives will stand a chance for success without regional peace and stability. Before getting to the proceedings of today it is important to set the scene for this 2003 meeting by highlighting certain key peace and security initiatives.

REGIONAL PEACE INITIATIVES

This third Session of the Joint Commission takes place behind the backdrop of several significant developments on our continent with regard to self-reliance and regional cooperation on matters of peace and security:

* South Africa continues to participate in Peace Support Operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ethiopia/Eritrea and Liberia. Our efforts, successes in particular, in peace support in the region have often been as a result of joint efforts at a regional level. In the case of the DRC we received very significant cooperation from Namibia, Angola and Zimbabwe. We noted the role of Namibia in particular for being the first to pull forces out of the DRC in support of the peace process.

* At the AU meeting in Addis Ababa in May this year, under the auspices of the AU Peace and Security Protocol, the 'African Standby Force' was officially adopted by the 3rd African Chiefs of Defence Staff Meeting. Although this is still considered 'work in progress' the principle of Africa policing its own trouble spots has been firmly established.

* On 26 August this year the SADC 'Mutual Defence Pact' was officially adopted opening the way for mutual, pre-emptive cooperation in defence and security matters. Again, mutual cooperation between Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe - countries who were key in sponsoring and pushing the pact - was vital in the eventual success of establishing this initiative.

* The signing on 8 October this year of the 'Pretoria Protocol on Political, Defence and Security and Power Sharing in Burundi', a process spearheaded by President Mbeki and Deputy President Zuma, has given credence to ongoing bilateral interventions in matters of peace and stability in Africa.

* Finally, the Joint Commission takes place as we in South Africa are preparing for next year's commemoration of our 10th anniversary of our first democratic Government.

THIS JOINT COMMISSION

The inaugural meeting of the Joint Commission in Cape town in 2001 firmly established the commission and the principles on engagement around public security, state security and defence. The second meeting in Windhoek in 2002 set the wheels in motion to implement substantive issues with clear targets and timeframes. The meeting was also an opportunity to test and assess our capability to deliver.

My opening address then, as outgoing Chairman, noted that whereas we had made progress on various issues, we needed to focus on the key outstanding issues. The various sub-committees at work this week will update us on progress and a way forward. At this early stage in the progress and development of the Joint Commission all of our annual meetings are milestones in our quest for mutual security and cooperation. This is our annual opportunity to take stock of our work to date, celebrate achievements and deal very seriously with areas of concern.

It is very important that I stress how crucial bilaterals like ours are in the broader scheme of initiatives, for example, the SADC Interstate Defence and Security Committee (ISDSC). Often issues are resolved or initiated at this level as a result of the bilateral relations between individual countries. The region is becoming increasingly alive to the importance of bilateral permanent commissions. We must therefore never allow ourselves to be accused of being a 'talk shop' where plenty is discussed and little achieved.

In his closing remarks at last year's Joint Commission, my former co-Chairperson, Honourable Errki Nghimtina, noted the resolutions and decisions for implementation and assured us that the issues would be pursued rigorously.

Given the extent of cooperation between our respective governments and peoples in these areas, I have no doubt that this close relationship is on the right course.

I thank you.

Issued by: Ministry of Defence

4 November 2003