Media Remarks by His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma at the end of the Official Talks with His Excellency President Manuel Pinto da Costa of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Pretoria
Your Excellency,
My Dear Brother President Manuel Pinto da Costa and your distinguished delegation,
Ministers, Deputy Ministers,
Ladies and gentlemen of the media,
It is my honour and privilege to welcome His Excellency President Manuel Pinto da Costa to South Africa for this historic State Visit.
Let me thank you sincerely Mr President for accepting my invitation to undertake this state visit.
The relationship between South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe is borne out of our mutual struggles for freedom and liberation in our respective countries.
Mr President, you were a founding member and leader of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe and became the first President of the independent Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe in 1975.
You are thus, a revered hero of your country’s liberation Mr President.
You were also an inspiration to all of us who had to struggle longer to achieve the liberation of our country. Your presence on our soil is therefore an honour for our whole nation.
As excellent as the relations between our respective Governments are, I believe that we still have the duty to explore ways and means of further expanding our ties for the benefit of our two countries and peoples.
Our Deputy President, Mr KgalemaMotlanthe, visited your country in September 2011, and that visit laid the groundwork for our discussions today.
In our bilateral talks we agreed to take further our joint cooperation in the fields of energy, water and health and other areas.
On water treatment support, in April this year, a joint technical team from the Department of Water Affairs and from Rand Water undertook a fact finding mission to Sao Tome and Principe on what we can do to provide water treatment support.
The following areas were identified as areas for urgent intervention:
· Infrastructure refurbishment.
· Provision of rainwater harvesting tanks.
· Knowledge sharing on waste water management.
· Skills transfer and capacity building.
· Financial resources mobilization.
South Africa has also extended an invitation to Sao Tome and Principe to send experts to South Africa to explore technologies that would be best suited to meeting challenges regarding water treatment and discussions on other forms of support is ongoing.
We have also agreed to provide support with regards to shortages of medical supplies, as part of health cooperation.
Mr President, the South African Government fully supports investments by South African companies in the continent and fully encourage our companies to explore opportunities in your country, Mr President.
We support the kind of investments which seek to contribute to the sustainable development of the region and the Continent as a whole.
We have also agreed to take further our cooperation, particularly on people-to-people exchanges. We are also keen to promote tourism and other areas of economic cooperation.
You can count on our support and our friendship.
Mr President we meet during a difficult situation in the world generally regarding development in the Syrian Arab Republic.
South Africa is alarmed at the latest escalation in the conflict in Syria, following the chemical weapons attack in the district of Ghouta in eastern Damascus on 21 August 2013. The use of these weapons in Syria is of serious concern and is wholly unacceptable by any standard.
No cause could ever justify the use of weapons of mass destruction.
We are concerned by the rhetoric pointing to the possibility of a military intervention. South Africa does not believe that bombing the already suffering people and crumbling infrastructure of Syria, will contribute to a sustainable solution.
Furthermore, only the United Nations Security Council can mandate the use of military force in conflict situations only if other measures are deemed insufficient in bringing about a peaceful solution.
Any attack on Syria without the UN Security Council authorization would constitute a grave violation of international law and dangerously undermine international order.
The UN Security Council cannot and must not be used to authorize military intervention aimed at regime change. A regime change agenda through outside military intervention undermines any hope of sustainable all-inclusive political solution.
Military intervention will serve no other purpose than hurting the possibility of a speedy diplomatic solution to the conflict.
We therefore believe that the United Nations weapons inspectors should be allowed the time to announce their findings on the use of chemical weapons whilst no effort should be spared to convene the proposed Geneva II Peace Conference as soon as possible.
We encourage all parties involved in the current conflict in Syria to engage in a process of all-inclusive national dialogue, free of any form of violence, intimidation or outside interference aimed at regime change, in order to satisfy the legitimate democratic aspirations of the Syrian people.
It is essential that a political path be supported by a united, cohesive international effort towards a Syrian-led negotiated political transition aimed at establishing a democratic pluralistic society in which minorities are protected. We therefore call on the members of the UN Security Council to unite in purpose and action in moving the parties to a negotiated settlement.
Closer to home, you are all aware of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where South Africa has deployed troops in fulfilment of our international obligations towards the United Nations.
Three of our soldiers have been injured in the conflict since the weekend, largely from shrapnel. None have been seriously wounded.
Our soldiers are well trained and are ready for their responsibilities towards building a better and more peaceful Africa.
Mr President, once again, I welcome you and your delegation and wish you a pleasant and productive stay in South Africa.
South Africa will always have a special place in our hearts for the people of Sao Tome and Principe.
I thank you.