Negotiators are making good progress on narrowing the differences about the outcome of the Jo’burg World Summit, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Sunday.
”I think we have the political will from all the participating states to make the summit a success,” she said at a news conference on the eve of the summit.
Dlamini-Zuma would not be drawn on the details of the progress made in informal discussions since Saturday, saying they needed to be formally endorsed first.
Some of the brackets in the text of the summit documentation had been removed, she said. That means that consensus has been reached on wording that was formerly in dispute.
Summit secretary-general Nitin Desai said: ”For the past day-and-a-half there has been a very constructive atmosphere in the negotiating room. People are looking for common ground. I am very confident that we will come out with a very good, agreed programme…”
Dlamini-Zuma was asked what impact the absence of United States President George Bush would have on the summit.
She said the US had been fully engaged throughout the process leading up to the summit and had been participating at a very senior level at every platform.
”What matters to us is how completely a country is engaged. What we want is credibility in terms of action on the ground.”
Political will was not just gauged by the physical presence of a head of state, but also the constructive participation of the country, Dlamini-Zuma said.
So far all the participants in the summit had expressed their willingness to participate and to ensure its outcomes addressed the issues of sustainable development, she said.
”Political will is not just expressed by one person, but by countries and citizens of a country. I’m sure hundreds of citizens of the US are already participating.
”We are confident that even though President Bush will not be here the conference will still be a success,” she said. – Sapa