29 January EU-South Africa talks

THE European Union formally presented a detailed counter-offer for anEU-South Africa free trade agreement in response to the offer tabled byPretoria last November. In a joint statement, the two sides said that theyhad held "preliminary exchanges" and clarified Pretoria's position. SouthAfrica had offered to abolish customs duties on 8,400 products over 12years, with 'special protocols' excluding sensitive products. In return, itcalled for rapid market opening by the EU - especially in agriculture.