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Johannesburg
08 August 2009
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. and South Africa
plan to enhance their cooperation bi-laterally and beyond. Mrs. Clinton
was speaking following a meeting with South African President Jacob
Zuma.
Secretary Clinton, speaking following a brief meeting with
President Zuma in Durban, said she and South Africa's international
relations and cooperation minister have been instructed by the leaders
of their two countries, to work at building stronger ties.
"We
have been tasked by our respective presidents the foreign minister and
I, to put meat on the bones, so to speak, to get to work to make sure
that the expectations of both President Zuma and President Obama are
met as we work more closely together on our bi-lateral relationship as
well as on regional and global challenges. And that we need to be
leading on not only for the betterment of our nations, but the world,"
she said.
Mr. Zuma said the two countries wished to take their relationship to a higher level.
The secretary said she and the South African president discussed a broad range of African issues from Somalia to Zimbabwe.
The
United States wants South Africa to step up its leadership role in
Africa, particularly in the area of trade. In an earlier address to
business leaders in Pretoria, Mrs Clinton says that there is great
untapped potential on the continent.
"We believe that South
Africa has so much more economic potential and it cannot exist as an
island of relative prosperity amid a sea of untapped opportunity
elsewhere on the continent," said Mrs. Clinton.
But increasing
trade with African countries may be more complex than it at first
appears. South Africa is currently in a recession and must respond to
major domestic issues such as the highest global incidence of HIV and
AIDS; widespread poverty and an unemployment rate of just over
24 percent.
From South Africa the Secretary travels to Angola.
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