JOHANNESBURG
A just-concluded meeting between South Africa's president Thabo Mbeki and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe might signal efforts by Mbeki to close the gap in the way the two countries approach pressing problems within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), analysts told IRIN on Friday.
According to Claude Kabemba of the South African-based Centre for Policy Studies, now that a ceasefire is in place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the region will have to start seriously addressing the raging war in Angola through SADC's security organ, currently chaired by Mugabe.
"While Mugabe will be more inclined to favour a militaristic
intervention in Angola on the side of Eduardo Jose dos Santos'
government, as he did in the DRC on the side of Laurent Kabila, South Africa is known to favour engaging protagonists in negotiations," Kabemba said. He added: "Mbeki, therefore, needs Mugabe on his side to ensure there is consensus within SADC on how to resolve intractable problems in the region."
Shortly after addressing a press conference with Mugabe in Pretoria on Thursday, Mbeki flew to Maputo in Mozambique to confer with President Joaquim Chissano, who is the current chairman of SADC. According to Kabemba, this might indicate that security issues top the agenda of the regional body that is also in the process of finalising issues surrounding a free trade area planned for next year.
"As chairman of SADC, Chissano will be expected to find ways of reducing tensions within the body, whether these relate to the direction of the security organ or the pace of economic cooperation within the 14-nation regional body," added Kabemba.
Media reports said Mbeki's trip to Maputo was meant to add substance to SADC's plans to boost regional integration. Among trade issues discussed between Mugabe and Mbeki, said the reports, were the further development of Mozambique's Beira Corridor link with Harare and gas pipelines ventures in the region.
The two presidents are also reported to have discussed trade issues between their countries, especially the disputed clothing and textile trade, of which both are major manufacturers in the region. Zimbabwe is dissatisfied about the trade balance that is currently tilted in South Africa's favour by a ratio of up to one to five.
A South African trade and industry official told IRIN on Friday that progress was made on this issue at the SADC summit in Maputo three weeks ago. "Although no figures are readily available, a decision has been taken to upwardly revise Zimbabwe's quotas of exports to South Africa in products like yarn and household linen," the official said.
The official added that South Africa has to contend with protests from clothing employers and trade unions regarding increased imports of textiles from mainly Zimbabwe.
"However, South Africa will progressively reduce tariffs on clothing from SADC countries within about five years, while other SADC countries will phase out tariffs in about eight years," said the official, adding that no new agreement was signed between the two countries to replace the 1964 bilateral one that expired in 1992.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions