It is what gives us confidence in the future. Inevitably in a transformation as profound as ours there will be difficulties. But South Africans have shown that even the most difficult problems can be overcome through negotiation. But there is a shared commitment to resolve differences when they do arise, and a shared allegiance to institutions created for handling such differences. Government's resolve to maintain the policies which have brought success is strengthened by the broad consensus behind them.
Partnership is also the basis of our relationship with our neighbours in Southern Africa.
Together we have taken rapid strides in turning the Southern African Development Community into a framework for integrated development of the region's immense resources. We are moving towards a free trade area with a market of some 150 million people. The economic bloc we are building is destined to play a significant role in Africa's rebirth and in the development of economic relations between Asia, Africa and Latin America. And we welcome the extent of Swiss trade, investment and development aid throughout Southern Africa. And yet, just as our own achievements are but the first steps towards a better life for all our people, so too has the potential for Swiss involvement in South and Southern Africa been barely touched.