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ECOWAS parliament begins sitting

The Economic Community Of West African States - ECOWAS logo ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States
    ABIDJAN

    The regional parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has begun sitting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, with 98 representatives from the 15 member states in attendance.

    “Issues it will deal with over the coming days include adoption of a constitution, rules of procedure and a budget for 2001,” an ECOWAS spokesman told IRIN on Monday.

    The parliament was inaugurated in November in Bamako at the annual summit of ECOWAS by the community’s chairman, President Alpha Konare of Mali. Its main objective is to enact laws to foster regional economic integration. The current session is scheduled to end on Saturday.

    ECOWAS Executive Secretary Lansana Kouyate said there was need to discuss the distribution of seats, in what was originally conceived as a 120-member regional legislature, following the withdrawal of Mauritania from the community at the end of 2000.

    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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