Towards a Structured Parliamentary Diplomacy Model Potential Models for Co- operation between Parliament of South Africa and Third Parties K Ahmed Acting Manager:International Relations Section

1. Central Question Since Parliament of South Africa has already established relations with various multilateral organizations, would it be beneficial for Parliament to (1) expand its scope of international diplomacy through a structured process and if so, (2) develop a parliamentary diplomacy model to facilitate the expansion?

2. Parliament’s Current International Relations Structured relations currently exist between Parliament and the following multilateral organizations: CPA IPU SADC-PF ACP-EU PAP APU

3. Transnational Parliamentary Bodies Approximately 35 parliamentary bodies, such as: European Parliament Latin American Parliament Asian and Pacific Parliamentarians Union Benelux Interparliamentary Consultative Assembly

4. Bilateral Parliamentary Bodies Hundreds of bilateral (parliament-to- parliament) friendship groups, such as: US-Australian Parliamentary Friendship Group European Parliament Delegation for Relations with South Africa

5. Issue-Centered Parliamentary Groups Association of Western European Parliamentarians Against Apartheid Parliamentarian Conference on WTO

6. History of Bilateral Relations 1994: SA seen as the “flavour of the month” Post 1994: Agreement entered into between former Speaker and European Parliament 2004: Greater push for North-South Relations, particularly by the EU Past three months: 14 bilateral requests

7. What are the Current Issues? Who do we establish relations with? North-South or South-South What form do these relations take? Structured or unstructured What guides our approach? SA foreign policy Mission & Vision: oversight, public participation What about resources and capacity?

8. Theories of International Relations Realism: maximising self interest Realism Idealism: transnational cooperation Idealism Gender theory: constructed gender roles impact on relations Gender theory

9. Parliament’s Conventional IR Model Advocates Parliament-to-Parliament relations as opposed to friendship groups. Relationships at an international level are (theoretically) managed by the sub- committee on International Relations. Allows for membership of regional and international multilateral bodies such as PAP, SADC-PF and IPU. No formal structured relationship exists with any regional body of which Parliament is not entitled to be a member.

10. Alternative IR Models Formal model: formalization of relations through Joint Rules Committee. Formal model Political model: formalization of relations through PC on Foreign Affairs. Political model Ad hoc model: semi-formal relations through ad hoc committee. Ad hoc model

11. Third Party-SA Relations: Options Informal relations administered through the Sub-Committee on International Relations/ IR Section. Semi-formal relations managed by an ad hoc committee. Formal relations through PC on Foreign Affairs. Formal relations through the Joint Rules Committee.

12. Observations Continuous pressure on Parliament to establish structured relations Careful analysis and debate required Lack of capacity in the IR Section to deal with structured relations IR Section has proposed a discussion on parliamentary diplomacy in July/August

13. Conclusion Parliamentarians role in IR has changed As a result, services provided by IR Section has to be transformed Before Parliament embarks on forming structured relations with third parties, greater debate is required