SA, Tunisia can contribute to Africa's growth

Motlanthe, who is on a two-day working visit to Tunisia, said the two countries can contribute to Africa's development through bilateral action and through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

The deputy president co-chaired a working session with Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi on Wednesday (14 April 2010) to assess progress achieved in various areas of co-operation.

Motlanthe said both South Africa and Tunisia wanted to find a lasting solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, Sudan and the Palestine-Israeli conflict.

"We are distressed by the on-going violence and destruction and express the hope that the Palestinian people will unite so that they may continue to work towards the establishment of an independent state.

"South Africa stands ready to support efforts in attaining this goal. It is also South Africa's view that we should, as South Africa and Tunisia, lead by example. There are many areas of agreement where we can achieve more," said Motlanthe.

The deputy president described Tunisia as a shining example of a developing country, adding that South Africa wants to learn from it.

"It is our desire to learn and share experiences from these established benchmarks and to see how the various strategies could be applied to our situation in South Africa," Motlanthe said.

Both nations share co-operation in the fields of health, social development, defence, science and technology, culture and sport. The Joint Bilateral Commission (JBC) to formalise relations between the nations was established in 2006.

In the health field South Africa now has more than 80 Tunisian medical doctors working in rural areas.

Currently several draft agreements on scientific and technological cooperation, information and telecommunications technology, vocational training, arts and culture and youth development cooperation have been finalised.

"Although we have so far concluded twenty agreements on cooperation in areas of mutual interest, we continue to explore new areas of cooperation," said Motlanthe.

The two countries also cooperate towards peace-keeping operations on the continent.

The deputy president also assured Tunisia that South Africa is ready to host the World Cup in June.

"It is the first time that this event is taking place on the African continent and it will not be the last. We are certain that in future countries such as Tunisia will have the opportunity to host such event as the World Cup," he said.

The deputy president returns home later today.