Some five days ago, the South African government announced that the consortium of Telekom-Malaysia and SBC Communications had succeeded in its bid for a 30 per cent stake in South Africa's Telecommunications Corporation.
Intense negotiations are under way about important matters of detail.
But, without pre-empting these, we are confident that this relationship will be sealed in a matter of weeks. The agreement could not have come at a more opportune moment. For it is a practical reflection of an emergent strategic partnership between our two nations. And, in many respects, it is a prototype of our multifaceted relations. Let us emphasise at the very outset that the agreement does not issue from feelings of sentiment towards one another, nor is it abased on considerations of political convenience.