Africa - Europe Summit to deal with crushing debt on poor countries
Regional-Egypt, Politics, 4/1/2000

on Monday the Africa - Europe Summit with 67 countries participating will be inaugurated with a speech by Egyptian President Mubarak followed by a speech by Algerian President Abdul-Aziz Bouteflika, whose country presides the Organization of African Union (OAU), followed by Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres who holds the rotational Presidency of the European union.

European high commissioner Romano Prodi, OAU Secretary General Salem Ahmed Salem and United Nations Chief Kofi Annan will also address the summit.

Three working sessions are to take place in the space of two days. The first working session will open to discuss economic items, including establishing an African - European partnership, slashing down the African foreign debt, the integration of African economies into the global economy through Europe, and inter African integration.

On Tuesday morning, the second working session will examine the political issues on the agenda, foremost among them are the dispute-settlement, refugees, human rights, terrorism-combat, security, and freeing the continent from the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).

In the afternoon, the third session will review developmental, social, and Euro-African cooperation issues. The session's agenda lists poverty-combat, eliminating diseases, such as malaria and aids, education, environment, and food security.

In the evening, the closing session will include an address by Presidents Mubarak and Bouteflika and Prime Minister Guterres. The European Union Secretary General Chris Patten is expected to address the session as well.

The Summit -- that copies the Asian- and European-African ones for the first-time -- aims at nearing the gaps between the African and European continents for their joint interests and productive cooperation.

President Mubarak will hold a flurry of bilateral and successive meetings on the sidelines of the summit with European and African Leaders.

This meeting is seen by some as an opportunity for the Africans and Europeans to open strategic cooperation and dialogue and the necessity of reaching a dispute-settlement mechanism.

The European states and the group of eight called for writing off the debts on Africa which has become what many have described as a crushing burden that prevents any progress from taking place in terms of improving the standards of living, in the health, education, environment and economic development.

The Summit reflects the importance of Egypt as the heart of Africa. Egypt's role cannot be denied in supporting security and stability inside the continent.

Previous Stories:
  EU stresses commitment to establishing peace in Middle East   (3/31/2000)
  Concluding meeting among African and European ambassadors in Cairo   (3/30/2000)
  Tony Blair apologizes for not attending African - European summit   (3/30/2000)

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