The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, has promised that African issues will be prominent on the agenda for Ireland's forthcoming presidency of the European Union.
He was speaking following a meeting with South African president, Mr Thabo Mbeki, at the presidential residence in Pretoria and a separate meeting with his counterpart, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Mr Cowen said he and Mr Mbeki discussed the security situation in Africa, with Irish troops on the verge of beginning their peace-keeping mission in Liberia.
"Ireland's approach to conflict resolution, at home and abroad, has always been emphatically multifaceted," he said. "Yes, security is critical. But it must be accompanied by peacemaking and by development measures dealing decisively with the causes of conflict. This is the approach we will seek to have put in place in Liberia."
He said South Africa is of "pivotal importance" in the peace processes in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, adding that the Irish government would ensure the EU's continuing support in the efforts to secure peace in these two countries.
Mr Cowen reiterated Ireland's support for the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes, the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The Government is donating €300,000 to help the NEPAD's work.
The Minister also emphasised that situation in Zimbabwe needed to be addressed, as it posed a "deep concern". He said there was an urgent need for the parties to engage constructively with each other. "We know, from our own experience in Northern Ireland, that there is no alternative to direct discussion and dialogue," he said. "Politics, not violence and the abuse of human rights, must be the only way forward."
Mr Cowen said a Partnership Agreement between Ireland and South Africa had also been establised. "This reflects our common commitment to prioritising our relationship," he said.