[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

7 September 2007

The Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka rounded off the Rome leg of her working visit to Italy with a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Massimo D'Allema.

The meeting discussed issues of dual concern ranging from the forthcoming Europe/Africa Summit, the situations in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the mediation efforts of President Thabo Mbeki in Zimbabwe.

Italy's assistance in the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa) was also discussed. Italy has agreed to be one of the countries that will participate in Jipsa. A task team will be set up comprising Italians and South Africans to ensure that work on this is done speedily.

On issues of trade, the Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka indicated that the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mandisi Mpahlwa, would be visiting Italy in October to follow up with the Italian business on the July visit of Mr D'Allema in South Africa. Mr D'Allema indicated that while they did not have concrete figures of the number of businesses that will be doing business in South Africa, his recent trip was a success and many business-to-business relationships had been struck.

On Sudan and Darfur, the Deputy Prime Minister, indicated that the Italian Government was optimistic of a good ending to the catastrophic situation in the area.

On Iraq, the two countries were in agreement that the situation was best dealt with through the multilateral route.

The Bilateral relations between South Africa and Italy have grown significantly over the last number of years. Mr D'Alema's recent visit to South Africa with a strong focus on economic ties was most productive.

South Africa was also looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Prodi in the first quarter of 2008.

In terms of other visits that will also strengthen co-operation between the two countries are:

* Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patrizia Sentinelli to visit South Africa for consultations with the Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad scheduled for 17 and 18 September 2007
* The Italian Minister of Science and Technology for the official inauguration of the international Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGB) in Cape Town on 10 September 2007. The ICGB is an international inter-governmental organisation conceived as a centre for research and training in modern biology and biotechnology with special regard to the needs of the developing world.
* The possible visit by Minister Makhenkesi Stofile to attend the 17 October Bafana Bafana match against Italy in Perugia.

The Deputy President also offered her condolences to the Italian nation for the loss of one of the greatest artists, Luciano Pavarotti who passed on in the early hours of Thursday, 6 September 2007.

While in Rome, the Deputy President and her delegation, met with the two Rome-based United Nation's organisations the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Jacque Diouf of the Food Agriculture Organisation, with whom Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka met, agreed to assist South Africa with the development of One Municipality, One Product concept in which each municipality will be encouraged to specialise in producing one product for trade and creation of local economic opportunities, targeted capacity building in agriculture, facilitation of more South-South co-operation especially by leveraging access to some of the 3 000 Chinese experts they have access to and to facilitate the deployment of more South Africans in Multilateral organisations such FAO.

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Josette Sheeran told the Deputy President that she believed that the world was entering the age of the African farmer. She assured the Deputy President that with proper support and capacity building she was confident that the current hunger situation of Africa could be turned around in two to three generations like it was done in Europe and Thailand.

The Deputy President is accompanied by the Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dirk Coetzee.

The Deputy President is currently in Lake Como near Milan where she is addressing the Ambrosetti Foundation Forum.

For more information please contact:
Thabang Chiloane
Cell: +2782 888 8783

Issued by: The Presidency
7 September 2007

Issued by: The Presidency
7 September 2007
Source: SAPA