South Africa and the European Union are holding their first ever summit in Bordeaux on Friday, with Pretoria set to try and narrow differences with its top trading partner on the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
  
Africa's economic powerhouse and the EU, its biggest investor, want to take their relationship to a "new level" at the summit, attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU --  South Africa's Thabo Mbeki and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.
  
"The Republic of South Africa is the main regional power in Africa and a member of the group of emerging countries. It is one of the drivers of growth in the continent and a success story that refutes Afro-pessimism," the EU said in a statement.
  
South African foreign ministry spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the summit was "a major step forward" in buttressing the relationship.
  
But the diametrically opposed positions of the two sides on seeking an end to the protracted political crisis in Zimbabwe, ruled since its 1980 independence from Britain by President Robert Mugabe, looms large.
  
The EU on Tuesday widened sanctions against Zimbabwe despite a deal brokered by South Africa's Mbeki between hardline President Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on talks for a future government.
  
EU foreign ministers added 37 more people to a list of individuals who are under a visa ban and whose assets have been frozen, as well as four companies, and threatened to take further action.
  
The EU sees Mugabe as a tyrant who has crushed human rights and democracy and led the once-model economy to ruin and burdened with the world's highest inflation rate.
  
Mbeki, on the other hand, has so far failed to publicly criticise Mugabe and appears to be vociferously opposed to any attempt to arm-twist the octogenarian leader and to any form of Western pressure.
  
Although not on the agenda, the Zimbabwean impasse could loom large.
  
Mamoepa sought to defuse the issue Thursday, saying the agenda basically revolved around "bilateral issues, free trade, African and global security questions and WTO talks.
  
"Our view is that there has been a major step forward in the process of dialogue in Zimbabwe thanks to the tireless and behind the scenes effort of President Mbeki," he told AFP.
  
"We want all those parties who have a genuine desire for a resolution of the crisis in Zimbabwe to give the current peace process a strong boost," Mamoepa added.
  
Talks between the Zimbabwean protagonists began Thursday in South Africa after Mugabe gave his senior lieutenants the final go-ahead to negotiate power-sharing with the opposition.
  
Zimbabwe's political crisis deepened last month when Mugabe won a run-off presidential election in a one-man poll after Tsvangirai pulled out following a wave of deadly attacks on his followers.
  
Tsvangirai believes his victory over Mugabe in the first round on March 29, when he fell just short of an overall majority, gives him the right to become president.
  
An EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Zimbabwe would be  high on the agenda at Bordeaux.
  
"It's almost inevitable given that it's the key crisis in southern Africa at the moment," an EU official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
  
"South Africa has quite an important role in resolving that," the official said, describing Pretoria as a "key protagonist."
  
But the other main focus will be on enhancing trade.
  
Bilateral trade has increased more than five-fold between 1994 to 2007 from 56.5 billion rand (7.5 billion dollars, 4.7 billion euros) to 313 billion rand, according to South African figures.
  
South African exports to the EU totalled 137 billion rand last year while imports were worth 176 billion rand.
  
In 1997, South Africa accounted for 1.5 percent of the EU's external trade in goods and was its 12th most important trading partner, according to Eurostats.
  
Friday's summit will be preceded by a ministerial meeting headed by South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her French counterpart Bernard Kouchner.
  
There are two declarations due to be adopted at the ministerial meeting: a common stand on climate change and another on the role of the private sector in improving the fortunes of the world's poorest continent.