Western diplomats regret disobeying diplomatic protocol in S. Africa
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E-mail Xinhua, February 5, 2019
The heads of the diplomatic missions of Switzerland, Britain, Germany, The Netherlands and the United States on Monday regretted the memorandum they sent to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO.)
The embassies of the five countries in South Africa wrote a memo to Ramaphosa last week, in which they said failure to take action against state capture will affect the country's quest to lure investors. They also raised concerns over the country's amendment to the mining sector's regulatory framework. However, the embassies did not follow established diplomatic channels.
DIRCO Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and other senior government officials met the heads of the diplomatic missions on Monday to express South Africa's displeasure.
"The heads of the diplomatic missions regretted the misunderstanding and further clarified that the discussion paper had been sent to the Presidency to contribute to the dialogue on how South Africa can attract more foreign direct investment," said DIRCO spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya.
The heads of the diplomatic missions have promised to follow the diplomatic protocol in future and have reiterated their commitment to working actively in support South Africa's investment drive, Mabaya added.
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