South Africa foreign minister demands: 'G8 talk to us about debt'

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) rich nations should discuss debt cancellation with representatives from Africa during the July G8 summit in Japan's southern island of Okinawa, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Zuma said on Tuesday. The leaders of South Africa and Algeria have been mandated by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to put forward Africa's debt problems to the G8, and Zuma said it is important for the G8 countries to hear Africa's opinions before making any decisions on debt relief.

In meetings she had with Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono on Monday, Zuma also called for the issue of debt relief to be included on the summit's agenda, according to the South African Press Association (SAPA).

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said, "Africa's massive and unsustainable external debt remains a major obstacle to growth. Speaking at his Commonwealth Lecture in London on 14 March 2000, Annan said debt “deters private investment, threatens the sustainability of reforms, disrupts the smooth functioning of the State - and calls into question the very survival of some African economies. At present we are congratulating ourselves on small steps which have brought modest relief to a handful of countries. The deeper, faster and broader relief promised last year has yet to materialise".

The full text of the SAPA article:

SOUTH AFRICA WANTS G8 SUMMIT MEMBERS TO DISCUSS AFRICAN DEBT RELIEF TOKYO

28 March 2000 Sapa-DPA

South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Zuma on Tuesday called for the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) nations to discuss debt relief with representatives from Africa during July's G8 summit in Japan's southern island of Okinawa.

At a Tokyo press conference, Zuma said she hopes the G8 countries will hear the views of the presidents of South Africa and Algeria, who have been mandated by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to put forward Africa's debt problems to the G8 countries.

Zuma said it is important for the G8 countries to hear Africa's opinions before making any decisions on debt relief. She declined, however, to elaborate on what kinds of decisions on debt relief she hopes will be made at the July 21-23 summit in Okinawa Prefecture.

Zuma said she called for the issue of debt relief to be included on the summit's agenda in meetings she had with Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono on Monday.

The minister said Japan will decide whether to accept her request after consulting with the other G8 nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States. During talks with Obuchi and Kono, Diamini-Zuma requested that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and South African President Thabo Mbeki be allowed to discuss the debt relief issue on behalf of the OAU with the G8 leaders during the summit, according to a Japanese foreign ministry official. Algeria currently serves as the chair of the OAU, which groups 52 African countries. Zuma also suggested that representatives from the Conference of Non-Aligned Nations, consisting of 112 countries, hold ministerial talks with G8 members during the summit, the official said. Zuma arrived Sunday in Japan for a three-day visit.

for more information: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/briefing/nw20000329/1.html