Ministers discuss mercenaries

2004-03-11 11:34

Pretoria - Equatorial Guinea's deputy foreign minister met his South African counterpart on Thursday to discuss recent developments in his country, where South Africans have been accused of being involved in preparations for a coup d'etat.

Equatorial Guinea's deputy foreign minister Jose Esono Micha arrived in South Africa late on Wednesday night, foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa told reporters in Pretoria.

The meeting between Micha and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma took place in the city.

Diplomatic sources said on Thursday it was the South African government that alerted the governments of both Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea to the arrival of armed forces in their countries.

The sources said Micha had come to South Africa specifically to convey the strategy of his president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, on the matter.

- SAPA