South African leader wants to do a deal with Trump to resolve dispute

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By Nqobile Dludla

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that he wanted to “do a deal” with U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve a dispute over his country’s land policy and genocide case against Israel at the World Court.

Trump cut U.S. financial assistance to South Africa in an executive order this month, citing disapproval of its approach to land reform and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Washington’s close ally.

Ramaphosa told a conference organised by U.S. bank Goldman Sachs in Johannesburg that he wanted the “dust to settle” after the executive order but that the longer-term goal was to go to Washington to mend relations.

“We don’t want to go and explain ourselves. We want to go and do a meaningful deal with the United States on a whole range of issues,” Ramaphosa said. “I’m very positively inclined to promoting a good relationship with President Trump.”

Ramaphosa did not say what the deal could involve, only that it could touch on trade, diplomatic and political matters.

South Africa is not hugely dependent on U.S. aid, but some fear its preferential trade status under the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) could be under threat with Trump in the White House.

The country tries to project itself as non-aligned in geopolitical conflicts, not tying its interests too closely to those of rival powers the United States, China and Russia.

But Trump has cited the ICJ case as an example of South Africa taking positions against Washington and its allies.

(Additional reporting by Sfundo Parakozov and Bhargav Acharya; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Sharon Singleton)