SADC: Mbeki leads SA delegation

2005-08-16 12:50

Cape Town - President Thabo Mbeki will lead the South African delegation to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state and government summit in Gaborone, Botswana on Wednesday and Thursday.

The delegation includes Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and several other cabinet ministers, the foreign affairs department said in a statement on Tuesday.

"South Africa is participating in the summit within the context of its stated commitment to facilitate and strengthen organs of SADC and promoting the implementation of Nepad (New Partnership for Africa's Development)," it said.

The summit would receive reports and recommendations from deliberations on a number of issues during the SADC council of ministers meeting, which took place on Monday and Tuesday.

These included a review of the regional socio-political and economic situation, a focus on food security, challenges facing SADC and proposed priorities for 2005/06.

The priorities focused on poverty alleviation and sustainable development, agriculture and food security, gender equity, HIV and Aids and other infectious diseases, and peace and stability.

- SAPA