Regional conference facing "some delays"

A regional peace and development conference will not likely take place in June 2004 as had been foreseen, owing to "some delays in the setting up and operations of some National Preparatory Committees, notably that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)", the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region reported on Friday. Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday, parties to the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region, however, said that it was important not to delay the process too long to avoid losing the momentum attained at the start of the process. Office spokesman George Ola-Davies told IRIN on Monday that while the conference would "definitely not take place in June 2004", it would, nevertheless, be held before the end of the year. "The calendar needs to be reviewed," he said, adding that despite any delay, his office was pleased with the progress made to date. "It is an impressive step that so many countries have set up offices for the conference," he said, adding that donors were ready to lend their support, and were simply awaiting proposed budgets. "We do not envisage any problem with regard to financial and technical support," Ola-Davies stated. The meeting, which in addition to the six core conference members (Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania), also included representatives from a number of UN agencies, the African Union, the co-chair of the Group of Friends, The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and the European Union, also made a number of other decisions, including the addition of Zambia as the seventh core member. A source close to the talks told IRIN that Angola and the Republic of Congo could also become parties to the process at some future date. Participants unanimously agreed that the four adopted themes of the conference – Peace and Security; Democracy and Good Governance; Economic Development and Regional Integration; Humanitarian and Social Issues – were "interlinked, equally important and should therefore be given equal treatment and priority in the preparation process". National coordinators from the core members also welcomed the establishment of the "Group of Friends of the Great Lakes", saying it presented "an excellent window of opportunity for international political, diplomatic, technical and financial support for the process". The Group of Friends co-chairs, Canada and The Netherlands, expressed their willingness to finance some of the preparatory activities of the conference at national and secretariat levels. The next preparatory conference is due to be held in January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the auspices of the African Union, which, in partnership with the UN, is convening the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region.