By Martin Rushmere South Africa has again tried to soothe ruffled Zimbabwe feathers over the issue of the trade agreement between the two countries. Deputy Foreign minister Aziz Pahad says Pretoria is sincere in trying to slash tariffs.
At a meeting in Harare of the joint commission on the trade treaty, the minister said: We cannot continue with the high protective regime, adding that it was unfortunate that Zimbabwe felt that his government was not trying hard enough to secure an agreement.
He also denied allegations by Jonee Blanchfield, the president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, that South Africa is already negotiating a trade deal with the European Union and is ducking out of an agreement with Zimbabwe. Said Pahad: The negotiations have not even started - they start next month. We will never do anything to finalise our negotiations with the EU without taking into consideration the implications on other countries in the region. His remarks were echoed by the deputy minister of foreign affairs, Nicholas Goche, who said that both countries would benefit if this joint commission were also to create opportunities for the economic empowerment of the majority of our citizens, who hitherto have been condemned to the sidelines of economic activity.
