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3 December 2007

Minister of Defence of Cote D'Ivoire, the honourable N' Guessan Michel Amani
Secretary for Defence, January Masilela
Chief of South African National Defence Force, General Godfrey Ngwenya
Senior officials and officers of both delegations
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

Honourable Minister N' Guessan Michel Amani, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to our country. The association between our two countries has gone from strength to strength.

South Africa has visited your country on many occasions. I must confirm that a highlight to date has been our visit to Cote d'Ivoire for the ceremonial lighting of the Flame of Peace in Boukke on 30 July 2007, and for the Grand Peace and Reconciliation Ceremony in Abijan on 10 October 2007. I am indeed honoured to formally welcome you to our Defence Headquarters.

Your visit is a fitting occasion to reflect upon the many significant achievements which have been taking place in Cote d'Ivoire recently.

The successes to date have been the result of a number of constructive interventions. These as you will recall were given impetus by the mandate, granted by the African Union to President Thabo Mbeki on 12 November 2004, to serve as a mediator, to broker peace in your country. These efforts have been supported by active participation of many role players, and sustained by the hard work of the people of Cote d'Ivoire, together with others on the continent, such as Burkina Faso.

These efforts have culminated in the forging of the Ouagadougou Agreement earlier this year. The event was celebrated by the people of Cote d'Ivoire, along with President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, during the ceremonial lighting of the Flame of Peace in Yamoussoukro on 30 July 2007. This saw the symbolic destruction of weapons from both sides, a victory for peace not only for the people of Cote d'Ivoire, but for the African continent as a whole.

The victory was affirmed on 10 October 2007, by the Grand Peace and Reconciliation Ceremony. The ceremony saw men and women from various ideological perspectives united in the name of peace. They made a clear statement that peace was desired above all.

We note with pleasure the positive stance being maintained towards the peace process, as well as the concerted effort being made towards convening democratic elections, which, it is hoped, will take place in 2008.

We observe too, the symbolic launching of the 'Audiences Foraines' which commenced in Ouragahio and Ferkessedougou at the beginning of October, and has now spread more broadly. The success of this initiative will be critical in order to fast track the other programmes pivotal to the peace process. It is thus imperative that the technical, financial and logistic challenges are collectively addressed.

It is encouraging that the security situation in Cote d'Ivoire remains calm, this being indicative of the good working relationship between all parties. We urge you to maintain the focus being directed at integrating all military forces into a strong, united Defence Force.

Honourable Minister, we remain convinced that peace and stability are critical precursors to economic growth, both in our two countries, and more broadly on the continent.

It is this which has seen South Africa seized with the objective of consolidating the African Agenda, and working hard to support the objective of integrating the region economically and politically.

We are pleased to report that a number of milestones have been reached in this regard.

Working with Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union and the United Nations, South Africa was instrumental in furthering the peace process on our continent, with the consolidation of democracy in Burundi, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We affirm that similar initiatives taking place in the Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan in the region of Darfur, enjoy our highest priority. We remain convinced that South African resources expended with the aim of ensuring economic prosperity on the continent, are resources well invested for all our peoples, including our future generations.

Further impetus has been granted by the launching of the SADC Brigade, consisting of military, police and civilian components of all Southern African Development Community Member States, on 17 August 2007 in Lusaka, Zambia. This Brigade has been constituted to address the challenges of peace, security and stability that face our region. It represents, in concrete terms, the resolve of our region and continent to rely on its resources effectively to ensure peace and security throughout Africa.

Honourable Minister, the peace efforts being progressed in Cote d'Ivoire are fundamental to economic prosperity, not only in your region, but the continent as a whole. Key to any peace effort is a strong, united military component, loyal to the Constitution of the country, and inspired by the ethos and principles of that Constitution.

Honourable Minister, after attaining our freedom and independence in 1994, South Africa faced the challenge of integrating seven very diverse forces into a unified South African National Defence Force. We trust, therefore, that we may be able to make a meaningful contribution to your endeavours to integrate your Defence Force successfully. Remain assured of our continued support in this regard.

I thank you

Issued by: Ministry of Defence
3 December 2007