|
Tanzania calls for Great Lakes peace meeting
2006-02-01 08:00:49
By Guardian Reporter
Tanzania, which holds presidency of the United Nations Security Council, has called for a special African meeting on the Great Lakes region to discuss peace and security in the region.
A press statement issued by the American embassy in Dar es Salaam yesterday said at the meeting, African leaders would discuss strategies for stepping up ongoing peace processes to restore stability in the region.
’The meeting was proposed by Tanzania, which holds presidency of the Security Council for January, in the hope of keeping the international community involved in promoting peace, stability and human-rights in the region,’ the statement read in part.
Last Friday, the UN Security Council encouraged states in the region to consolidate and intensify efforts to bolster peace, security and stability, the statement added.
’In a resolution adopted after a daylong ministerial meeting, the Security Council called on the organisers of the International Conference on Great Lakes Region to make final preparations for the summit,’ it noted.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wants the meeting, which was postponed from last December, to be held as soon as possible.
According to the statement, Annan’s support for the idea ’sends a strong and much needed signal that the peace process is still on track.’
Tanzania’s ambassador to the UN Augustine Mahiga told the ministerial-level meeting last Friday that the summit would provide an opportunity to energise the current efforts for lasting peace in the region.
He said the proposed summit would be ’an opportunity to encourage the countries of the region to continue in the spirit of good neighbourliness and sustainable peace.’
He added that the gathering would also enable African states to capitalise on positive developments in the region, especially in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
’This is an opportunity to examine the extent to which the Security Council can forge closer relationships in areas of conflict resolution, peacekeeping and now peace building,’ concluded Mahiga.
|
