Brussels, 27/08/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and South Africa's Minister for Foreign Affairs Mäite Nkoana-Mashabane reiterated their joint will in Pretoria on Friday 24 August to show leadership in conflict resolution, to fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia, to push for reforms and the implementation of the global political agreement for Zimbabwe, and to work so that the negotiations with Iran “ensure the purely peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme”, Ashton said at the end of their talks. Their meeting, which took place as part of the regular political dialogue between the EU and South Africa (see EUROPE 10673), was in preparation for the bilateral EU-South Africa summit which will take place in Brussels in September between President Zuma and the presidents of the Council of Ministers of the EU and the European Commission - Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso.
Ashton stressed the economic importance of the partnership linking the EU and South Africa, as “the European Union is South Africa's main trading partner, its first foreign investor and the most important development partner”. She stressed that it was important to work harder together to “stimulate growth and provide jobs for our people” in this period of crisis. Ashton was able to meet Mrs Zuma and congratulate her on new role as Chair of the African Union. She also expressed her condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were lost at the Marikana mine recently. Ashton left South Africa for meetings in Kenya (26-28 August). (AN/transl.fl)