BEE not in trade talks — minister

LAMOLA: 'THOSE ISSUES WERE NOT IN US FEEDBACK'

- Brendan Seery & Molefe Seeletsa

Ongoing negotiations on a trade deal with the US have not included any discussion about political issues, including broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) or affirmative action, says International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola.

At a media briefing yesterday, Lamola emphasised on a number of occasions that those issues had "not been brought to the negotiating table".

He said despite some "speculations" by those who had visited Washington, that these matters were critical, "those issues were not in the feedback" the US negotiators had given their South African counterparts. Nor were they in the framework being discussed.

He added: "We prefer to deal with what is in front of us...

"So, we separate facts and other things that we hear."

Lamola appeared to criticise some groups within South Africa that may have hurt the country's relationship with the US.