BILATERAL MEETING BETWEEN MINISTER MOSIUOA
LEKOTA, SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND
MINISTER ALI BONGO, GABON STATE MINISTER OF
DEFENCE ON TUESDAY, 08 AUGUST 2006
South African Minister of Defence, Honourable
Mosioua Lekota and Gabon State Minister of
Defence, Honourable Ali Bongo ONDIMBA met on
Tuesday, 08 August 2006 at Defence Headquarters
in Pretoria during the official visit of,
Minister Bongo ONDIMBA to South Africa as a
continuance of ongoing engagements between the
two Ministers to establish close bilateral
defence relations.
The two Ministers emphasized the commitment
of their Presidents to reducing tensions and
pursuing peace and stability on the African
Continent. The significant progress made in
Burundi towards post-conflict reconstruction and
the stabilisation of the armed forces was noted.
Furthermore, the ongoing effort of the African
Union to bring about peace in the Darfur Region
was welcomed.
The enormous effort of the international
community to ensure the success of the election
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was also
appreciated. The Ministers reconfirmed their
commitment to strengthening the capacity of the
African Union, specifically the establishment of
the African Standby Force and the development of
a Continental and Regional Early Warning System.
Pursuant to their prior Declaration of
Intent, the Ministers undertook to work towards
the finalisation of a Memorandum of
Understanding on Defence Cooperation to
facilitate the bilateral cooperation between the
two Ministries.
The Ministers directed cooperation in the
field of peacekeeping and instructed the
exchange of observers and units during
peacekeeping training. An emphasis was placed on
medical support to peacekeeping operations,
including exchanges of information concerning
field hospitals.
The two Navies will work together to promote
maritime security on the African Continent
through the prevention of piracy, proliferation
and drug and human trafficking. Intelligence
exchanges related to the security situation in
their respective regions will be established.
The SANDF will receive a delegation of
Gabonese experts to discuss cooperation in
various Army disciplines:
a. Discussions on functional and
application training exchanges in the flying
and technical environments.
b. The two defence forces would exchange
delegations at a senior level to promote
bilateral cooperation.
The Ministers encouraged the South African
Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries
Association to provide the Gabon Ministry of
Defence with exposure to its products and
services. The Ministers expressed their
appreciation of the work of the Senior Officials
and for the positive nature of the Ministerial
discussions. They undertook to continue their
dialogue on a regular basis.
Minister Lekota accepted an invitation to
visit Minister Bongo ONDIMBA in the near future.
ENDS
Issued by: Ministry of Defence
Defence Headquarters
Pretoria
Inquiries: Mr Vuyo Zambodla
(012) 355 6105 | 
