President Thabo Mbeki received a royal welcome in Malaysia on Tuesday ahead of talks with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad aimed partly at developing a common stand for upcoming world trade negotiations.
Mbeki and his wife Zanele, who arrived in this southeast Asian nation late on Monday, were received at Parliament Square by King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin and Queen Tuanku Fauziah, along with Mahathir and his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
A military band played the national anthems of both countries while Mbeki received a 21-gun salute and inspected an honour guard by 100 officers from the first Malay Regiment.
Mbeki and Mahathir were due to hold talks later on Tuesday on a wide range of issues, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting starting on September 10 in Cancun, Mexico, Mbeki’s spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said.
The meeting is shaping up as the stage for a heated battle between industrialised and developing countries.
Developing countries such as South Africa and Malaysia argue that the more than $300-billion spent each year by industrialised nations to help their domestic food producers prevents them competing in developed markets.
Mahathir, who took over from Mbeki as chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries earlier this year, is a strong critic of globalisation and Western trade practices.
He was also a staunch supporter of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and Khumalo said Mbeki would take this opportunity to say farewell to Mahathir ahead of his retirement on October after 22 years in power.
Other issues to be discussed included the campaign against terrorism and the need for the United Nations and ”multilateralism” to play a greater role in world affairs, Khumalo said.
Both countries were strong opponents of the United States-led invasion of Iraq.
The two leaders are also due to sign agreements on economic, technical, scientific and cultural cooperation, as well as the setting up of a joint commission.
Mbeki, who is accompanied on the visit by a 70-member delegation, is due to attend a state banquet hosted by the king at the royal palace on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday he is scheduled to address a forum organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies and speak at a business luncheon organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.
The South African leader will also receive a courtesy call from Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah, who is due to succeed Mahathir. — Sapa-AFP
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