High ranking delegations from Iraq and South Africa visit Poland

He also stressed that his country would not forget their allies when it came to rebuilding his country. At the same time, he assured that Poland could expect to win some contracts in the future. President Aleksander Kwaśniewski announced that Poland acquired a $13 million contract with Iraq and that, "The reduction in the number of Polish soldiers in the region cannot result in the lowering of the region's safety". Meanwhile elsewhere in Warsaw, business circles were playing host to a delegation from the Republic of South Africa. As a result of overtures from the Republic of South Africa (RSA) towards forging closer ties with the European Union, the Deputy President of South Africa Jacob Zuma visited Poland as part of his EU tour. He was accompanied by the South African Ministers of Agriculture, Science and Technology and local entrepreneurs. The guests are hoping to find Polish partners who would assist RSA in improving its infrastructure. "We can benefit a lot from cooperation with South Africa. This involves large funds from, for example, the EU," said Andrzej Arendarski, president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG), who hosted the visit. However, despite all the words and good intentions, no sums of money were directly mentioned. Nevertheless, the RSA government clearly stated that it was most interested in investments in telecommunication networks, airports, seaports and roads. "Both parties are interested in intensifying trade exchange and the most prospective export product could be Polish machines, especially for mining," said Arendarski. (Puls Biznesu, p. 12) M.M. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A7) M.M.