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5 July 2007

Pretoria: South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad and Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi will on Friday, 6 July 2007, depart on a three-nation South American visit to Cuba, Panama, and Mexico. The delegation will also visit Spain before returning to South Africa on Thursday, 19 July 2007.

The South African delegation will visit South America and Spain within the context of South Africa's priority to consolidate bilateral political, economic and trade relations with Cuba, Panama, Mexico and Spain.

Cuba

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Havana, Cuba from Saturday to Wednesday, 7 to 11 July 2007; during which Deputy Minister Pahad will together with his Cuban counterpart Deputy Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez co-chair the 5th session of the Joint Consultative Mechanism between South Africa and Cuba from Tuesday to Wednesday, 10 to 11 July 2007.

Issues on the agenda of this session of the Joint Consultative Mechanism are expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between South Africa and Cuba
* updates on the current situation in Cuba and South Africa
* perspectives on regional developments in Latin America and the Caribbean, Southern African Development (SADC) and Africa
* areas of trilateral co-operation between South Africa and Cuba
* peace and security challenges in Africa
* developments within the Non-Aligned Movement
* the comprehensive reform of the United Nations and South Africa's tenure of the non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council
* progress towards the 2008 African Union Diaspora Conference to be hosted by South Africa.

While in Cuba, Deputy Minister Pahad will also brief resident Africa and Middle Eastern Ambassadors on 'Developments in Africa and the Middle East.'

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will depart from Cuba on Wednesday, 11 July 2007 for Panama.

Panama

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Panama from Wednesday to Thursday, 11 to 12 July 2007 during which Deputy Minister Pahad will hold bilateral political and economic discussions with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ricardo Duran on Thursday, 12 July 2007.

Deputy Minister Moleketi is expected to hold discussions with the Vice Minister of Finance Orcila Vega de Constable.

Issues on the agenda of discussions between Deputy Minister Pahad and Vice Minister Duran are expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between both countries
* a briefing on developments in the Latin American and SADC regions
* increased South-South co-operation
* co-operation between both countries in multilateral fora including the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 + China.

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will depart from Panama on Thursday, 12 July 2007 for Mexico.

Mexico

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Mexico from Thursday to Saturday, 12 to 14 July 2007 during which Deputy Minister Pahad will on Friday, 13 July 2007 hold bilateral political and economic discussions with his counterpart Mexican Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Maria de Lourdes Aranda Bezaury.

Issues on the agenda of discussions between Deputy Minister Pahad and Undersecretary Bezaury are expected to include, among others:

* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between both countries
* regional affairs in Latin America and the Caribbean and SADC and the African Union
* multilateral co-operation in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 + China.

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi are expected to depart from Mexico on Saturday, 14 July 2007 ahead of their visit to Spain.

Spain

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi will visit Madrid, Spain from Saturday to Wednesday, 14 to 18 July 2007 during which Deputy Minister Pahad will together with his counterpart Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernadino Leon Gross, co-chair the 4th session of the South Africa–Spain Annual Political Consultations on Tuesday, 17 July 2007.

Issues on the agenda of discussions are expected to include, among others:

* an overview of the current status of and prospects for increased bilateral political and economic relations
* the African agenda including:
- an evaluation of the Spanish Africa Plan
- post conflict reconstruction and development with regard to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur, Cote d'Ivoire, Western Sahara, Equatorial Guinea and Somalia
- the outcomes of the recently concluded African Union Summit
- African Union–European Union relations with particular reference to the forthcoming African Union–European Union Summit in Lisbon at the end of 2007
- migration

* the conflict in the Middle East including Israel and Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq
* nuclear non-proliferation;
* an assessment of developments in the Latin American region; and
* The comprehensive reform of the United Nations and South Africa’s tenure of the non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Deputy Ministers Pahad and Moleketi are expected to return to South Africa on Thursday, 19 July 2007.

Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
5 July 2007