Pretoria - International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane on Tuesday concluded what has been described as a successful visit to Panama.
"I am really encouraged by the attitude of the parties and the groupings here in Panama. They are saying to me ... that they want Durban to be a success.
"They also indicated to me that they have already started working on draft text that would guide the negotiations in Durban," the minister said, adding that her role as the incoming president of the COP was to encourage the parties to talk to each another to find common ground.
Nkoana-Mashabane visited Panama in her capacity as incoming president of the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the seventh Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP7), which will take place in Durban next month.
While in Panama, the minister held consultations with stakeholders and groups taking part in the UNFCCC, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said.
She also met with members of the Bureau of the UNFCCC and held consultations with representatives of the European Union, Umbrella Group, Environmental Integrity Group, Africa Group, as well as G77 and China.
Nkoana-Mashabane also signed the Host Country Agreement on behalf of the South African Government with the UNFCCC Secretariat for South Africa's hosting of the COP17/CMP7.
Those who met with the minister expressed their appreciation to her as the incoming president of COP17/CMP7, saying that reaching out to the parties would go a long way in encouraging open dialogue.
