Ministers propose date for regional summit

Foreign ministers from 11 countries in Africa's Great Lakes region have proposed that a regional heads of state summit scheduled for the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, be held in early September. They made the proposal on Wdednesday in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, at the end of a three-day inter-ministerial meeting, where they finalised preparations for the Nairobi summit. The Bangui meeting was held under the chairmanship of Tanzanian Foreign Minister Asha-Rose Migiro. She said during the meeting the ministers reviewed protocols and programmes of action for the international conference on the Great Lakes, which is organised by a joint secretariat of the United Nations and the African Union. The protocols and programmes of action focus on the conference's main themes of security, stability and development. They will be tabled at the Nairobi summit for adoption by the heads of state. "This pact is the framework of cooperation in the Great Lakes for purposes of maintaining security, peace, stability and development," she said. The protocols deal with the region's democracy and good governance; legal cooperation, prevention of crimes including genocide and war crimes; as well as reconstruction and development. At their Bangui meeting, the ministers also adopted a framework for follow-up after the Nairobi summit, which would be established to oversee the implementation of adopted protocols and programmes of action. Migiro said sanctions would be considered for member states that fail to comply with the adopted protocols and programmes of action. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the Great Lakes, Ibrahima Fall, expressed optimism about the regional conference. "The Bangui meeting has been a success; we therefore go from here with all our differences buried," he said.