[Mbeki can be very slick when he wants to. I think under this mask… this talk of “economic development” – expect nothing of significance in S. Africa in this regard – he really wants us to turn towards Communist China – as Mugabe has done overtly. South Africa and Zimbabwe will lead Africa towards Communist China… watch… Jan]

Jakarta – Africa should learn from Asia’s story of economic success, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday ahead of a major summit of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta.

African countries should “ask what is it that we can learn from the success story, in terms of economic development, strategic development and so on”, Mbeki said after talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“What is it that can be done to increase economic co-operation between Asia and Africa because the potential is there and has not been properly tapped,” added Mbeki, who is co-hosting the summit this weekend with Yudhoyono.

The Asia-Africa summit would “offer the possibility for African and Asian countries to come together and indeed to form that strategic partnership”, he said.

Mbeki also said the two continents would be “closely interested in discussing the reforms of the United Nations”.

Japan, India, Brazil and Germany are all hoping to win permanent seats on the Security Council.

The current set-up giving veto power to five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – dates from World War II.

No African nation has a permanent seat on the council.

Productive discussions

Earlier on Tuesday, Mbeki was greeted with a 21-gun salute at the presidential palace in Jakarta, before beginning talks with Yudhoyono in which the two signed a series of new agreements on agriculture and trade.

His visit was “long overdue and very fruitful”, Mbeki said.

For his part, Yudhoyono expressed his “great respect and admiration for Mbeki as Africa’s leading statesman”.

The two had held “a wide range of productive discussions on political and economic issues, socio-cultural and diplomatic issues,” he told journalists after the meeting.

“We see the need and opportunity to expand our trade co-operation and also to encourage our respective business communities to be more active in using this opportunity,” he said.

Mbeki is expected to visit the tsunami-hit western city of Banda Aceh on Wednesday.

More than 50 leaders of Asian and African countries are scheduled to attend the April 22-24 summit, marking 50 years since leaders from the two continents first gathered in the Indonesian town of Bandung.

Source: News24.Com
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/New…/p>