Kenya: Trade and terrorism
2003-08-04 17:23
Pretoria - Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki arrived in South Africa Monday afternoon for a three-day visit to discuss issues ranging from terrorism to trade.
He was met at Waterkloof air force base outside Pretoria by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, an AFP correspondent reported.
Kenya, South Africa's sixth largest trading partner on the continent outside the 14-nation Southern African Development Community region, faces a massive trade imbalance with South Africa and complains of high tariffs on Kenyan goods entering the South African market.
South African exports to Kenya reached R2.3bn last year, compared with Kenya's sales of just R110m worth of goods to South Africa.
South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad told reporters ahead of the talks Tuesday between Kibaki and South African President Thabo Mbeki: "We have to help Kenya rebuild its tourism industry that was very badly hit by the terrorist attacks in that country."
Tourism, a key sector of the Kenyan economy, suffered after suicide bombers blew up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa last November, killing 12 Kenyans and three Israelis.
The sector was also affected after several Western countries advised their nationals against travelling to Kenya earlier this year.
In May, Kenya's National Security Minister Chris Murungaru called for defence agreements between Kenya and South Africa, saying these were crucial to peace-building in Africa.
Kibaki's visit to South Africa is his third foreign trip, and his first outside the East African region, since he assumed office in December after his opposition alliance defeated the party of former president Daniel arap Moi in general elections.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoko, who arrived in Pretoria ahead of Kibaki, told reporters in the South African capital that the trade imbalance "is a problem that needs to be attended to".
Musyoko said Kenyan Trade and Industry Minister Mukhisa Kituyi would meet his South African counterpart Alec Erwin "to see how we can make sure to improve this balance".