For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2001

Joint Statement by President George W. Bush And President Thabo Mbeki

President Bush and President Mbeki committed to build on and strengthen the already excellent ties between the United States and South Africa. We committed ourselves to achieving our shared goals of building a stronger strategic partnership and promoting economic growth and democracy in Africa and globally.

We reaffirmed that our governments will meet regularly, to consult on bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues of shared importance, and that ongoing cooperative efforts, begun under the direction of the Binational Commission, shall continue and be enhanced in the critical areas of agriculture; conservation, environment, and water; defense; health; housing; human resource development and education; justice and anti-crime; science and technology; sustainable energy; and trade and investment. We will establish a joint secretariat to direct and coordinate the consultations and to provide recommendations to both governments.

We discussed the Millennium Africa Recovery Program (MAP) and agreed to work together for a prosperous, democratic Africa. We affirmed our support for the MAP's core goals of conflict resolution, good governance, sound economic management, and fighting HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

We affirmed that additional efforts to combat the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases are urgently needed, and we renewed our commitment to working together against them and the conditions that enable the diseases to proliferate. We agreed to support the establishment and funding of the global trust fund for HIV/AIDS and other diseases as a unique public-private partnership to bring needed resources to the battle against these diseases through a multi-sector, integrated strategy.

We pledged to work together to support the launching of a new round of World Trade Organization negotiations and affirmed that we have many common interests, in particular the growth of agricultural trade and a shared commitment to working together to bridge the digital divide in Africa. Likewise, we confirmed our satisfaction that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has produced positive results in South Africa, and has already led to expanded trade and investment between the two countries.

We affirmed our mutual desire for a peaceful, democratic, prosperous Zimbabwe, in which human rights and rule of law are respected. We agreed that a dialogue between the Government of Angola and UNITA rebels on implementing the Lusaka Protocol offers the best promise for peace. We affirmed our commitment to progress toward resolving the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC) and agreed to cooperate on conflict resolution efforts throughout Africa.

President Bush looks forward to the opportunity to visit South Africa as part of the effort to continue building and fostering the growth of our bilateral relationship and promoting our shared agenda.

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