President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office says the US was welcome to attend the G20 leaders’ summit in South Africa this week and President Donald Trump’s decision to “not participate” means he should have no say in discussions.
In a letter, the US warned Pretoria not to make a G20 declaration without its presence at the leaders’ summit this weekend.
This is a last-ditch attempt by the US to undermine SA’s G20 presidency, despite the US deciding to not attend the leaders’ summit in Joburg over allegations that whites were being persecuted.
Sunday Times reported that the US has made attempts to bully allies into not agreeing to a leader’s declaration during the summit.
In a diplomatic note seen by Sunday Times and dated November 15, Washington said it “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 note verbale states that the US wishes to inform Pretoria of its position regarding G20 consensus documentation and communiqués that concern any invocation of the full G20 consensus moniker.
Ramaphosa’s office responded, saying Trump had forfeited the right to have a say in any G20 discussions.
“We have to respect the entire G20 process and the other countries who have made an effort to be here and tirelessly work on finding consensus. Therefore, we are not going to obsess over one country. It’s not the G1 or the G US. It’s the G20, plus the EU and the AU. We have to respect the other members and the G20 process and focus on a successful outcome that reflects the consensus reached with those present,” Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in an interview with Business Day.
Ramaphosa’s office also suggested the G20 summit was an opportunity for world leaders to stop being bullied into a US economic policy that lacked any logic or rationale.
”Sherpas are hard at work to finalise a leaders’ declaration. They have been at it since Saturday night, which is a sign that those present are committed to trying to reach a consensus document," Magwenya said.
It is unclear if the G20, in the US’s absence, will find consensus and sign off on a declaration, which is not legally binding but carries strong political weight. G20 leaders will face the choice of whether to stand united against Trump or to not offend him.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term as US president, South Africa has not responded in kind to his attacks, opting for a diplomatic approach that encourages Trump to attend the G20 to see he had been misled.
Unlike Trump, US businesses are showing strong interest in Africa and South Africa.
Speaking on the sidelines of the B20 on Wednesday, Business Unity SA (Busa) president and B20 co-chair Mxolisi Mgojo told Business Day that US business did not seem to share Trump’s views.
However, “politicians come and go. For business continuity, this is what we have to do for the sake of the countries … [US] business sees Africa as the next frontier … Africa is a growth area for them,” Mgojo said
This was underscored by the presence of the US Chamber of Commerce at the B20 summit in Sandton, even as Trump on Wednesday reiterated his call to boycott the G20 leaders’ summit.
The B20, the business arm of the G20, brings together global business leaders to help shape international economic policy. Recommendations from various task forces have already been handed over to the G20.
Pretoria has taken a firm stance, saying it will not travel to the US to hand over the G20 presidency. International relations minister Ronald Lamola said if the US failed to show up for the handover, “we will just issue the declaration, and the US will decide how they want to continue in the next year”.
While South Africa seemed to be putting on a brave face, some South African ministers were less than confident that heads of state would agree on a declaration.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana explained that two forms of documents could emerge from the meeting, a declaration or a chairperson’s statement. He said the chairperson’s statement did not mean that the South African agenda had failed and the same process had been achieved by other countries during their presidency.
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