BuaNews (Tshwane)
Shaun Benton
15 May 2008
Cape Town — As part of South Africa's commitment as a member of the United Nations, the country will be hosting the forthcoming visit of the UNs' counter-terrorism executive directorate, says Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad.
Mr Pahad was speaking at a briefing on the programme of action of government's International Relations, Peace and Security cluster.
The task of the UNs' counter-terrorism executive directorate was to assess South Africa's ability to deal with the threats presented by global terrorism, he said.
The South African government has indicated its "total commitment to cooperate to the fullest extent with this directorate", the deputy foreign minister said.
He added that South Africa was confident that the steps it has already taken to combat terrorism are "appropriate in our circumstances".
"It is our view that terrorism is a serious threat to international peace and security and the South African government condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations," he told reporters.
South Africa remains committed to the full implementation of the United Nations' global anti-terrorism strategy and this year, he said, it will intensify its efforts to finalise a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
This anti-terrorism convention is expected to be finalised during the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly, he said.
His comments came shortly after a series of explosions in the Indian city of Jaipur left over 60 people dead and many injured, in a suspected terrorist action that the South African government strongly condemned.
Meanwhile, the deputy foreign minister called on the government of Myanmar to cooperate with the international community in its humanitarian efforts to assist the thousands of people hit by a powerful cyclone that has left as many as 31 000 dead and even more missing in its wake.
However, non-governmental estimates of the toll wreaked by the cyclone are "much higher than this", he said.
He reiterated the concerns of the UNs' Secretary-General that the necessary cooperation from the Myanmar government with the international community to assist the country's citizens is not forthcoming.
The United Nations, he said, estimates that at least 1.5 million people are at serious risk of starvation and disease because of the inability of humanitarian organisations to effectively function in Myanmar.
"The South African government urges the Myanmar authorities to end all the restrictions and allow the international community to function more effectively," he said.
The South African government also extended its condolences, he said, to the government of China following a massive earthquake there that has left tens of thousands of people dead, with many more people injured.
The condolences of the deputy foreign minister were repeated also by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in a statement released on Wednesday.
The "thoughts and prayers of the government and people of South Africa" were with the government and people of China at this time, she said.
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