Germany donates office equipment

The Federal Republic of Germany has donated office equipment worth US $20,000 to the Central African Republic's follow-up committee for the National Dialogue, Peter-Eduard Weistabel, Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Yaounde (Cameroon), said on Sunday. "The equipment we donated should help the follow-up committee of the national dialogue to perform its duties," Weistabel said in the CAR capital, Bangui. He added the committee would receive all the equipment, which includes computers, printers, floppy diskettes, video equipment, photocopy machines and ink cartridges, by August. The chairperson of the follow-up committee, Catherine Samba-Panza, said the donation was testament to the consistent interest the German government had shown for the consolidation of peace and democracy in CAR. "The donation will reinforce the committee's capacity to explain, inform and sensitise [the public] on the important recommendations of the national dialogue," she said. CAR held the national dialogue on reconciliation in September-October 2003, with the participation of all stakeholders in the country's political development, who included former presidents Andre Kolingba, the late David Dacko, representatives of political parties, civil society, military, labour unions, NGOs, youth and religious associations. A committee was formed at the end of the talks to oversee the implementation of the recommendations made at the end of the dialogue. This German donation marks the first external aid to the committee.