President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday vowed to keep up the battle of preventing ”powerful countries and civilisations” from doing what they want to smaller countries.
Mbeki was replying to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s credential hand-over speech by incoming Ambassador Mohammad Ali Ghanezadeh Ez Abadi at the presidential guest house in Pretoria.
The president promised that South Africa, together with Iran, would fight against the tactics of larger countries to interfere with less powerful lands.
”The lessons to be learnt form Iraq is that dialogue must come first but not dialogue that is based on some countries being more equal than others,” he said.
Mbeki also discussed the issue of nuclear weapons, stating that South Africa was against the creation of such weapons and wished other countries to follow suit.
Iran resumed relations with South Africa in 1994.
Mbeki also received the new diplomatic representatives from Botswana, Pakistan, Mali and Myanmar.
In handing his credentials to Mbeki, Botswana’s High Commissioner, Motlhware Kgori James Masisi, praised the two countries’ good relationship and lauded Mbeki for his handling of ”the daunting challenges of poverty, drought and HIV/Aids”.
”While relative calm has returned to our sub-region, and there is therefore renewed hope for piece, I am hopeful that the seemingly endless conflicts which threaten the development of our economies in the rest of our continent will eventually come to an end,” Masisi said.
Mbeki said that Botswana was a good example of a country well run and proved that Africa was capable of such governance.
Pakistan’s new High Commissioner, Miangul Akbar Zeb, also praised the president for the leadership role he had adopted both within Africa and the world.
”We have observed with attention and with immense admiration how far-sighted policies have resulted in a democratic, forward-looking and economically vibrant South Africa. We appreciate too the leading and unifying role that South Africa plays to rid the African continent of poverty, instability and injustice,” he said.
Mbeki said from his point, he was pleased with the steps towards piece that Pakistan and India had taken.
Both the Ambassador of Mali, Sinaly Coulibaly, and the Ambassador of Myanmar, U Ohn Thwin, both stated their desires for increased ties with South Africa and mutually benefiting bilateral agreements. — Sapa