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COMESA summit ends with sharp differences over DRC conflict

    NAIROBI

    A summit by 12 heads of states from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ended in Nairobi on Tuesday with sharp differences over the DRC. President Laurent-Desire Kabila left the summit early, in a move described by observers as "very hurried", reportedly to respond to Burundi's "aggression". The proceedings were broadcast by
    Kenyan television. DRC Foreign Minister Yerodia Abdoulaye Ndombasi told the summit there was "no way COMESA can achieve regional integration if it and African nations continue to turn a blind eye to foreign invasion, such as the one in DRC". His remarks drew a sharp reaction from Uganda's Yoweri Museveni who said the summit was the wrong forum to discuss the issue and
    called on Kinshasa to get to the root causes of the war.

    Meanwhile, the heads of state issued a statement on Tuesday in which they agreed among other things to commence a "countdown" to the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) by 31 October 2000. However, the summit noted that the elimination of intra-COMESA tariffs could worsen uneven levels of development between member states and directed the secretariat to explore appropriate compensatory mechanisms.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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