Foreign minister makes first Swiss cabinet visit to Mozambique

Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss is paying the first visit by a Swiss cabinet member to Mozambique, which is one of Switzerland’s focus countries in Africa for development aid projects.

Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss is paying the first visit by a Swiss cabinet member to Mozambique, which is one of Switzerland’s focus countries in Africa for development aid projects.

Deiss, who arrived in Mozambique after visiting Tanzania and South Africa, was holding talks with Mozambique government leaders, including President Joaquim Chissano, Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi and Foreign Minister Leonardo Simão.

The discussions focussed on agricultural aid projects, particularly in the north of Mozambique, and police officer training.

The Swiss government has been supporting the African nation in both these sectors with SFr30 million ($20.4 million) annually.

The Swiss visit comes as Mozambique is preparing for presidential and parliamentary elections in December. The poll will be only the country’s second general since it won independence from Portugal in 1975.

Independence was followed by a civil war between the Mozambique Liberation Front government and the Mozambique National Resistance rebel group – a conflict that finally ended with a 1992 peace agreement brokered by the United Nations.

However, much of the country’s infrastructure was destroyed in the armed conflict.

During his talks in South Africa, Deiss underlined the importance of a political dialogue with African nations. He said that development projects aimed at improving people’s lives depend to a significant degree on the continent’s political and social stability.

From staff and wire reports.