Remarks following the press briefing on the Southern African Development Community Summit by Foreign Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, and the SADC Executive Secretary, Tomaz Salomao, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, August 13 2008

Questions and answers

Question: Can you tell us how many Heads of State will be coming to the Summit. Dr Dlamini Zuma, do you have any comments about the threats of Botswana to refuse to come to the Summit.

Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (Minister of Foreign Affairs): All the countries will be represented. At what level? With senior officials, all countries were represented. At this meeting that is taking place all countries are represented, including Botswana. At the Council meeting I presume that countries will be represented at the appropriate level.

When it comes to Heads of State, I'm aware that it is unlikely that the president of Zambia will be here because he is still in hospital. Zambia will thus not be represented at the Head of State level.

When it comes to Botswana, we would feel very sad if Botswana does not attend. Between South Africa and Botswana there is no problem. The problem that they have is one which is beyond our control, not within South Africa's control. It is a problem that South Africa is spending a lot of time, resources and energy in trying to resolve. But Botswana is a sovereign state and will take its own decisions. We don't know yet whether they are coming or not. As you say, there may be that possibility. All I can say is that it will be sad.

Question: What is the next course of action, if any, if President Mbeki comes back from Zimbabwe with no agreement signed?

Dlamini Zuma: The Troika of the Organ which is the one responsible for this issue and is the one that mandated President Mbeki to mediate, the Troika will be meeting on Friday. President Mbeki is right now in Angola to brief the Chairperson of the Organ - President Dos Santos about where the issues are and to take whatever mandate from him.

On Friday in the evening the Troika will meet and will then advise the rest of the Organ on where issues are. The Organ will then discuss and decide on what to do. It cannot be one country that decides. As it was the Organ that mandated President Mbeki, they will debate the issue and advise what the next step should be.

Question: Could you clarify who will be attending the SADC Conference on behalf of Zimbabwe?

Dlamini Zuma: We haven't been told who will be representing Zimbabwe but probably at the Head of State level it will be the Head of State of Zimbabwe.

Question: Who was invited for Zimbabwe?

Dlamini Zuma: We were invited by Zambia to this Summit, as the Chair. I haven't checked whom Zambia has invited. But South Africa was invited by Zambia, and all other countries, because Zambia is the chair and is the one that invites participants to the Summit. South Africa will receive and welcome the invitees.

Tomaz Salomao (SADC Executive Secretary): You are aware that the Chairperson of SADC, the Republic of Zambia, when invitations were issued all SADC Heads of State and Government were invited, including His Excellency Robert Mugabe. Now it is up to the relevant authorities in Zimbabwe to decide who is going to represent Zimbabwe.

Question: Was Robert Mugabe invited as a Head of State of Zimbabwe?

Salomao: The person who was invited is His Excellency Robert Mugabe.

Question: We know that the President of Zambia is ill, who is going to do the handover?

Dlamini Zuma: The Chair is held by Zambia the country. The Zambian authorities will decide who they'll send in place of President Mwanawasa. The Chair is not necessarily given to an individual. That will be the decision of the vice president and his cabinet on who will come and attend the SADC meeting and do the handover.

All we heard is that there may be a Constitutional problem about somebody who has delegated powers delegating to someone else. The person who is running the country is their vice-president who is running it on the basis of delegation from the president. We were told that there may be a constitutional problem for the vice president to further delegate someone to run the country if he goes out of the country. That is why who they are going to send. The vice president cannot delegate another acting president because he is an acting president.  In their constitution there is no allowance for an acting president to appoint another acting president. He might not be able to leave the country on that basis.

Question: The reports of President Mbeki and other reports on the political situation in the region, will those reports be made available to the media?

Dlamini Zuma: I don't think you have ever received internal reports of SADC. You normally get briefed and get a communiqué. I don't remember in the nine years that I have been Foreign Minister that internal reports have been distributed to the media. I don't think it will start today, but I'm just telling you what normally happens.

Extract from the transcript issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Pretoria, August 13 2008