Thank you, Chair. If your government was truly committed to the protection of human's rights, it should have not have any relationship with the apartheid state of Israel. Even though we acknowledge that your department has downgraded relation with apartheid Israel government, this is not enough and government continues to have an existing relationship with apartheid Israel. Why is this happening? Are there any plans to increase pressure on the apartheid state of Israel? Thank you.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION (Ms K
C Mashego-Dlamini): Thank you very much, Chairperson. We are a country as South Africa; we coexist in the world like any other country. We have no way to say we diminish a certain country because we don't like their practices. But what we are relying on as the country is to make sure that we need to convince and make sure that
this country understands the principles that can be aligned in the entire world. So, we are not going to really say we run away from any country that any person doesn't like because we coexist in the world for the betterment of our communities and we will make sure that we do the right thing as it is requested by South African in any other country. Thank you.
Question 29:
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION (Ms K
C MASHEGO-DLAMINI): House Chairperson, our response is as follows: The African Union, the United Nation Cooperation is effected in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Union's Charter, Article 52; 1 which states that nothing in present charter preclude the existence of the regional arrangement or agencies for dealing with such matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security as appropriate for regional action, provided that such arrangement or agencies and their activities are consistent with the purpose and principle of the United Nations.
South Africa was instrumental in championing this matter in its previous terms on Security Council. South Africa successfully facilitated the adoption the UN Security Council Resolution 1809 in 2008, which recognised the importance of the co-operation between
the peace and security architecture on the United Nations and the African Union. It further more recognised the need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing regional organisations, peace keeping operations which have been mandated by the United Nations. In 2012 South Africa successfully facilitated the adoption of Resolution 2033, in 2012, which calls for the greater co-ordination, improvement of regular interactions and co- ordination specifically between the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council on the matters of mutual interest.
In practice this entails an enhanced functional relationship between the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council. The two councils meet annually during the joint annual consultative meeting, to discuss issues of mutual concerns, as the President of Security Council during October 2019; South African will be heading the UN Security Council visit to this annual consultation. This will be further attempted to strengthen the co-operation and co- ordination between the two councils. Thank you.