EU/South Africa

South African-EU summit begins in Bordeaux

Article published on the 2008-07-25 Latest update 2008-07-25 17:31 TU

Nicolas Sarkozy and Thabo Mbeki at the economic forum in Cape Town, 28 February 2008.
(Photo: Reuters)

South African President Thabo Mbeki is in Bordeaux to meet French President and current European president Nicolas Sarkozy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Borroso, for a one-day South Africa-EU summit. The political crisis in Zimbabwe, the ICC warrant request for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir as well as trade and security issues will be discussed at Friday's meeting.

The European Union is South Africa’s biggest importer, and is likely to use that situation to push South Africa to lift its veto of an economic partnership deal between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the EU.

RFI's William Niba is in Bordeaux to follow the proceedings. He expects President Mbeki to ask the EU to hold off on additional sanctions against Zimbabwe. This in the light of the power-sharing framework that Mbeki brokered last week between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. But whether the EU will comply is far from sure.

The ICC arrest warrant requested on Sudan's President al-Beshir is a secondary concern, he said. “Outside the Zimbabwe crisis, ... they will try to push the facility to set up a free trade area,” Niba said.

 

At a press conference after the summit, South African president welcomed the EU decision to hand one billion Euros of outstanding funds from its farm subsidy programme. This aims at helping tackle the food crisis in Africa.

Mbeki said that the gesture constituted a bold response to a matter of mutual concern with great impact on the quest for peace, security, democracy and development in Africa.