Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will host Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams for discussions in Pretoria on Tuesday, her department said on Monday.
Sinn Fein is the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Adams will pay a special visit to South Africa from Tuesday to Friday, the department said in a statement.
”This visit follows the recent historic decision by the IRA, in response to the courageous and far-sighted call made by Gerry Adams in April 2005, to end the armed struggle and put all of its weapons beyond use,” the department said.
With the announcement by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning that the IRA has destroyed the totality of its arsenal, the stage has now been set for a revival of the peace process and for creating a lasting peace after many decades of a protracted struggle.
A core focus of the visit will be sharing experiences on decommissioning and disarmament, and particularly the lessons that can be learnt from the various peace processes in Africa.
”In this context, it should be noted that the decommissioning of arms has become a key element of conflict resolution worldwide,” the department said.
The discussions between Adams and Dlamini-Zuma will focus on, among others, the latest developments in the peace process and the next steps on the road to implementing the Good Friday Agreement, a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process signed in Belfast in 1998.
While in South Africa, Adams is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Thabo Mbeki, and hold discussions with Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils and other prominent South Africans.
He will also lay a wreath at Freedom Park in Soweto, before addressing the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg on Wednesday. — Sapa