Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I met the South African ambassador this morning in Dublin at the unveiling of a plaque in Henry Street commemorating the stand taken by Dunnes Stores workers against apartheid more than 20 years ago. In the near future, I also intend to have a more formal meeting with all seven African ambassadors resident in Ireland. This will provide us with an opportunity to discuss key current African political issues. The agenda is under discussion but I am sure that Irish priorities, such as the situations in Sudan, Chad and Zimbabwe, will be among the topics to be discussed. The situation in Zimbabwe was among the topics discussed during the meeting which the former Taoiseach had with the Deputy President of South Africa here in Dublin on 9 April.

The Irish ambassador to South Africa is in regular contact with Ministers and senior officials in the South African Government across the full range of issues that concern the Irish Government. He has had a number of recent meetings with the South African authorities, particularly regarding the situation in Zimbabwe.

On 29 April 2008, on the basis of an instruction from my Department, the ambassador formally called on a senior official in the South African Department of Foreign Affairs to present a démarche on the situation in Zimbabwe. On 6 May, the ambassador again had a meeting at the South African Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe. Most recently, on 2 June, the ambassador formally called on the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sue Van der Merwe, to discuss a number of issues, including the domestic situation in South Africa, and events in Zimbabwe, about which he raised the Government's continuing serious concern.

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