Brazzaville, Pretoria establish joint cooperation commission

In an effort to strengthen bilateral relations between their two countries, the foreign ministers of the Republic of Congo and South Africa signed on Tuesday an agreement providing for the establishment of a joint cooperation commission "in various fields of common interest". According to a joint communique issued on Wednesday, South Africa's minister of foreign affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and Congo's minister of foreign affairs, co-operation and the francophonie, Rodolphe Adada, agreed they would "do their utmost to strengthen and diversify their bilateral relations". During meetings on Monday and Tuesday in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, both ministers hailed the installation of the transitional government in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and "progress made in establishing lasting peace". With regard to another Congolese neighbour, the Central African Republic (CAR), the ministers "reaffirmed their support for an all-inclusive political dialogue as a means for a durable solution" to that country's problems, following six months of civil war that culminated in the overthrow of President Ange-Felix Patasse on 15 March. Also discussed was next year's Great Lakes conference, which the ministers said presented “an opportunity for discussing problems faced by countries in the region, and developing a comprehensive approach to their resolution". Dlamini-Zuma also met with Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso as well as Jean-Pierre Thystere Tchicaya and Ambroise Edouard Noumazalay, presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate, respectively. Dlamini-Zuma's visit to Congo was the first leg of a tour of central African countries, during which she was also scheduled to travel to CAR, DRC and Gabon. Meanwhile on Thursday, South African President Thabo Mbeki was scheduled to host a summit in Pretoria on the DRC peace process. Presidents Joseph Kabila of the DRC, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda were expected to attend, as were Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, in his capacity as chairperson of the African Union, and William Swing, special representative of UN secretary-general to the DRC.