African development plan draws EU welcome

Egyptian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Ahmed Darsh said on Thursday that a new initiative for Africa's development has drawn welcome of the European Union (EU).

Darsh, who attended a summit meeting on Afro-European cooperation on behalf of President Hosni Mubarak, said the plan aims at finding solutions to Africa's woes, mainly instability and debts.

He told Cairo Radio that the EU representatives and other participants agreed that the initiative was formulated in Africa and was not imposed on the continent and that it is an attempt to settle the African conflicts.

The Egyptian official added that President Mubarak urged the leaders of the G-8 to assist Africa in carrying out this initiative.

This may be the first time the African leaders have agreed on a programme of work to deal with the problems facing the African continent," he said.

Last year, Egypt hosted a landmark Afro-European summit meeting.