OMAN and South Africa are looking for ways to step up their cooperation, the official ONA news agency said on Tuesday, reporting on talks between Sultan Qaboos ibn Said of Oman and President Nelson Mandela. The two leaders reportedly discussed greater bilateral cooperation and the political situation in the Arab world. Mandela’s trip with Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo is geared toward promoting South African interests and working within the frameworks of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) groups and the Non-Aligned Movement.