US now eyes G20 Summit participation

THE South African government and their US counterparts were locked in discussion over Donald Trump’s administration's change of mind about participating in one shape, form or other in the G20 summit summit, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

He confirmed that Washington has had a "change of mind" about boycotting the summit in Johannesburg this weekend.

Until this announcement, the US had said it would not take part in the November 22-23 summit because it objected to the priorities for the meeting set by South Africa, the hosts of G20's rotating presidency this year.

"We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them about, about a change of mind about participating in one shape, form or other in the summit," Ramaphosa told reporters.

"This comes at the late hour before the summit begins. And so therefore, we do need to engage in those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it finally really means," he said.

South Africa saw the development as "a positive sign," said Ramaphosa.  

"All countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here," he said.

"So it's pleasing to hear that there is a change of approach, and so we are still discussing how that will manifest."

Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically "killed and slaughtered" in the country.

Tensions between South Africa and Donald Trump's administration have escalated since the start of the year, culminating in a meeting between the two leaders at the Oval Office in May.

This is where Trump attempted to embarrass Ramaphosa over false accusations of a white genocide in the country.

Since then, Trump has spoken openly about his decision not to attend the global summit, with the American president saying the US would neither participate in preparatory talks before the summit, nor the gathering of world leaders, set for Nasrec in Johannesburg. Trump’s attendance was crucial because his country takes over the G20 presidency next year. 

Ramaphosa had earlier told the G20 Social gathering on Thursday that the time of using global gatherings to canvas for a “narrow global agenda” has come to an end,  in what appeared to be in response to the US.  

In a letter at the weekend, the US formally warned South Africa against pushing for a joint statement without his administration being represented.

“The US opposes issuance of any G20 summit outcome document under the premise of a consensus G20 position, without US agreement...If a deliverable is issued under your presidency, it will be framed solely as a chair’s statement to accurately reflect the absence of consensus," the Trump administration recently stat

Ramaphosa, who on Thursday received the declaration from the G20 Social Summit in Boksburg, said that there should be no nation that bullies another, as all nations are equally important to the global agenda.

"It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income level or army determines who has a voice, and who is spoken down to. This means that there should be no bullying of one nation by another nation. We are all equal."

Ramaphosa called for more collaborative efforts to end global inequality.

"When we chose the theme to advance global collaboration, we did not mean a small class of leaders, but that the people be included. This summit is far more than a marketplace of ideas; it is a platform to harness global partnerships....Today, we are counting on this Social Summit to guide the G20.  We are relying on this Social Summit to be the reliable, trustworthy compass that ensures the G20 agenda takes the needs and aspirations of all the countries and all the peoples of the world into account," he said.

Cape Times