Hon Chairperson, hon members of the Assembly, members of the Diplomatic Corps, it has often been said that foreign policy is the art of the possible, which makes foreign relations the means by which we intend to achieve our goals. Our approach to international relations over the next five years will be driven by the need to deliver to the masses of our people what is at the core of our national interest.
Given that the gap between the rich and poor is wider in our country than in any other, it is all the more imperative that our foreign policy priorities reflect our domestic agenda. While actively pursuing our national interests, we will also place greater emphasis on human rights issues and the promotion of political solutions to violent conflicts around the world.
To achieve these objectives, the main priority of our government in implementing its international relations will be the consolidation of the African agenda. We will focus on deepening political and economic continental integration, strengthening bilateral relations with strategic countries, resolving civil conflicts peacefully, and preventing gross violations of human rights. Beyond the African continent, our foreign relations will focus on strengthening South-South co-operation by building on our strategic alliances with India, Brazil, and China.
We will capitalise on the good relations we have with countries of the Middle East to bolster trade, while at the same time supporting the motive forces in the region seeking democratic change and justice for the Palestinians. We will also continue to further North-South co-operation, particularly within the context of the G20. As committed multilateralists, we will sustain our robust engagement in multilateral forums, while pushing for the reform of the UN and the international financial institutions.
As a department we owe a debt of gratitude to our former Foreign Affairs Ministers, Mr Alfred Nzo and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and her Deputy Mr Aziz Pahad, who over many years laid a solid foundation for our international relations, and positioned our country as a significant regional power and an important member of the global south. Without their leadership and foresight we would not be the force on the international stage that we are today.
Under the experienced stewardship of our President Jacob Zuma, and our new Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, we intend to capitalise on the gains made and steer our country towards new heights in the pursuit of a moral foreign policy that makes a better life for all South Africans its first priority.
In order to build an environment in which socioeconomic development can take place, both in South Africa and the region, we need to ensure greater levels of human security for our people. Our understanding of human security is the freedom from want and the freedom from fear. One of the ways to address the pervasive lack of human security on our continent is to promote peace and stability by resolving ongoing violent conflicts.
Confronting the tragedy of our continent's conflicts brings a certain image to mind - that of a little girl in Darfur. She walks hand in hand with a doctor from Doctors Without Borders, her naked body so thin and frail that she can barely support her own structure. She hasn't eaten for days, she has been raped and her family destroyed after her village burnt to the ground after the effects of a scorched earth policy had been exacted. This is the reality of our children, our African children, in some of the most neglected corners of our continent. It is such children that wait very patiently for us to say something, do something, while we talk of the African Renaissance.
As South African policy-makers we have made these sacrifices out of our commitment to reverse the image of Africa as a continent fraught with endless bloodletting. We have made these contributions as we believe that Africa is the place of endless possibilities, a continent rich in human potential and untapped natural resources, a continent rich in culture and history, a place that can regain its soul once the guns fall silent.
Ultimately we have witnessed the dividends of peace in Burundi; we have watched a new democratic dispensation emerge in the DRC that has developed new levels of co-operation with its neighbour Rwanda.
Peace agreements between North and South Sudan still hold as the country prepares for national elections early next year. Our efforts, and those of other peace-loving nations within the AU, have borne fruit. We will strive to consolidate peace and postcolonial reconstruction in those countries emerging from war, and assist the AU to forge new and sustainable peace processes where peace has so far been elusive, such as in Darfur and Madagascar.
South Africa's central involvement in the resolution of the long-standing conflict in Sudan will continue in order to ensure implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA. We also need to play a more direct role in bringing peace to Darfur, a conflict that does not fall within the parameters of the CPA.
The ongoing human rights violations being committed against civilians in Darfur and the worsening humanitarian crisis are of such a magnitude that we cannot afford to dissociate ourselves from this ongoing conflict. Failure to address the root causes of conflict in Darfur could ultimately lead to the unravelling of the CPA.
We cannot confine our conflict resolution to Africa alone. As our Freedom Charter of 1955 stated:
We strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of international disputes by negotiations not war.
Many warring parties around the world have sought, and continue to seek, South Africa's assistance in bringing protagonists to the table, and sharing with them the South African experience in conflict resolution.
Some of us have responded to the calls for intervention in places like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kosovo, Bolivia, Northern Ireland, and Palestine. It is an honour to share our lessons learned and make suggestions as to how our experience can be adapted to different conflict theatres - this is part of our progressive internationalism. We must continue to play this role internationally as it is part of a unique niche that we have carved for ourselves, emanating from our specific historical experience.
The conflagration in the Middle East is of particular concern, as tension continues to escalate between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as between Israel and its neighbours. The situation on the ground has dramatically deteriorated, and we are now facing a situation where there is an escalation as opposed to a scaling back or dismantling of illegal Israeli settlements.
Palestinian water sources and agricultural land are being annexed at an unparalleled rate. The recent disproportionate use of force by the Israeli security forces against the civilian population of Gaza has only served to further inflame the passions of those seeking to establish a Palestinian state. While the region welcomed the statement made in Cairo by President Barack Obama, which advocated forward movement on the peace process, the recent statement by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has destroyed the hope of many in the region for a speedy resolution to the conflict.
We acknowledge our limited ability to significantly alter the conflict dynamics, but we will continue to advocate for an immediate return to peace negotiations that is inclusive of all stakeholders ... [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]