Skukuza (South Africa), 15 sep (EFE).-the European Union (EU) and South Africa held today in this country its fourth bilateral Summit to enhance its relations and seek consensus on the economic crisis, climate change and the situation in Libya.
The Presidents of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the European Commission (EC, the EU Executive), Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, head the European delegation that interview with South Africa President, Jacob Zuma, and six of his ministers.
The Summit’s agenda includes commercial, economic and Security Affairs as well as discussions prior to the United Nations Conference on climate change (COP-17), which will host Durban (South Africa) from 28 November to 9 December coming.
The South African Government has chosen as the venue for the Summit the Skukuza complex in the heart of the Kruger National Park, one of the largest in the world, to deal with its European partners to the challenges of global warming and its devastating effects on ecosystems such as the park itself natural.
EU South Africa will also make efforts to make progress in the negotiations of the G20 (a group of rich and emerging countries) to respond to the economic crisis, and will assess the role of the emerging countries of the bloc BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to deal with the threat of a new recession.
Europe seeks to also reach positions with African Nations on the international response to the challenges arising after the revolutions pro-democratic in Arab countries such as Libya.
South Africa, who presides over the high level Committee for Libya of the African Union (AU) and rotating in the Council of safety of the United Nations (UN) ranks, has spearheaded a sector critical of the AU with the role of the National Council of transition (CNT) in their struggle against the regime of Muammar al-Gaddafi.
Zuma attends the European Summit with the message of the African Group met yesterday in Pretoria and reiterated its commitment to a Government of inclusion national with all parties in the conflict, as well as its refusal to recognise, for the moment, the rebels of the CNT.
Another theme on the table will be the preparation of the Conference of the United Nations development and environmental protection (RÃo+20), to be held next year in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
The President of the European Council, the Belgian Herman Van Rompuy (left), and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso (r), welcome to South African President Jacob Zuma, prior to last year the European Union Summit at the headquarters of the European Council in Brussels (Belgium). EFE/file
