By Prensa Latina,
Paris : The First South Africa-European Union Summit began Friday in Bordeaux, a French southern city, where both sides hope to strengthen bilateral ties and debate issues like Zimbabwe crisis, trade, and environment.
South African leader Thabo Mbeki talked with his French peer Nicolaz Sarkozy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso and the EU High Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Common Security Javier Solana.
The meeting will examine the possibilities to open a new stage of economic and political ties after signing, in May 2007, a Strategic Association agreement with the European bloc and an action plan.
They will also tackle controversial issues, as Pretoria denial to sign an Economic Association Agreement (EAA) in substitution of previous commercial deals signed by the community bloc with African, Caribbean and Pacific nations.
In addition, the EU seems to have ignored South Africa mediation in Zimbabwe’s conflict and they have arranged an agreement between the country’s president an the opposition leader Robert Tvangirai, announcing economic sanctions against that nation.
The European community refused to recognize the result of Zimbabwe second electoral round, in which Mugabe won as the only candidate and agreed to sanction 37 officials and 4 companies from the mentioned African state.
Bordeaux agreement will also tackle issues like climate change, immigration, food security, and crisis in the Middle East.
The EU is South Africa’s main investor and the main destiny of exports from the African nation.