CAIRO: A delegation from Egypt made their way to South Africa Monday as two of Africa's economic powerhouses set out to strengthen bilateral relations and expand the scope of their economic cooperation. The visit has political significance and is also set to create a solid economic partnership among two of the largest players in the continent. President Hosni Mubarak's two-day visit is the first of its kind by an Egyptian president since South Africa s liberation from apartheid. During the visit, Mubarak and South African President Thabo Mbeki will discuss issues of pressing concern to Africa and the Middle East as well as ways to deal with the global food crisis. The local press reported that Egypt is giving top priority to solidifying its relations with South Africa as the country is a candidate for occupying a permanent seat in the Security Council. The Egyptian-South African Summit is expected to boost bilateral relations, namely when it comes to trade, industry and investment. After the two leaders meet, they will witness the signing of a joint declaration of intent covering strategic cooperation in the fields of petroleum, natural gas, mineral resources, training human cadres and civil service. "Egypt and South African cooperation will help achieve the interests of the African continent, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Monday after arriving as part of the Egypt delegation in Pretoria. According to Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad, trade volume between Egypt and South Africa hit $99 million last year, as Egyptian exports to South Africa reached $33 million and South African exports to Egypt amounted to $66 million. South African exports to Egypt more than doubled in 2007, while imports declined significantly after an unusual high in 2006. The main exports to Egypt are base metals, vehicles and chemicals. Imports from Egypt are mainly textiles, stone, machinery and vegetable products. Among the South African companies operating in Egypt are Sun International, a resort in Marsa Alam; PetroSA, a petroleum, oil and gas company and Murray and Roberts, a construction and engineering company. Other players in the Egyptian market include Macsteel, Karstens Farms, ExpandaDoor, SASOL, Graham Retief Farms, Aruba Vizier Ceres, Bokomo and South African Airways. South Africa hopes to build on Egypt's support for the African agenda, reported the press, including the promotion of sustainable social and economic development, conflict-prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping and greater integration on the continent. The two leaders are due to discuss ways of encouraging the private sector in the establishment of joint projects to create more job opportunities. Mubarak and Mbeki were set to discuss cooperation in the technological and scientific fields, mainly peaceful utilization of nuclear energy, the technology of agricultural researches, information, irrigation, medicine, engineering and teaching. During the visit, Egyptian and South African ministers are expected to sign several agreements paving the way for cooperation in the car manufacturing industry, mining as well as the establishment of power stations, Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid told the press. He added that Egypt and South Africa will also work together on issues related to compliance with World Trade Organization regulations, the exportation of building materials, agricultural products, medicines, cables and engineering commodities Officials will explore opportunities for investments in the fields of tourism, air services, maritime, environmental management and information and communications technology. "Egypt will hold the coming rotating presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Aboul Gheit said. South Africa was the former chair of the NAM.
