DTN News: African Largest Trading Bloc COMESA Kicks Off Summit In Zimbabwe

DTN News: African Largest Trading Bloc COMESA Kicks Off Summit In Zimbabwe

*Source: COMESA

(NSI News Source Info) VICTORIA FALLS - June 10, 2009: The 13th summit of Africa's largest trading group COMESA started in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls on Sunday, with the long-anticipated official launch of a regional customs union topping the agenda. Madagascar's ousted President Mark Ravalomanana chats with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on the second day of the two-day African trade summit Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in Victoria Falls on June 8, 2009. The group, consisting of 19 member countries, has passed a resolution to intervene in Madagascar's political problems to 're-establish constitutional order'. COMESA consists of Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It will be the second crucial step taken by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in its process of economic integration after the 19-member bloc established the first free trading area in Africa in 2000 The important move had been confirmed again by COMESA secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya before the summit.

The COMESA chief announced that the customs union will be launched next Monday when the summit came to an end. "The Common Tariff Nomenclature and the Common Customs Documentation (CCD) are in place and what remains is the COMESA Regional Policy still under negotiation," he had said.The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa - promoting regional economic integration through trade and investment.With its 19 member states, population of over 389 million and annual import bill of around US$32 billion with an export bill of US$82 billion COMESA forms a major market place for both internal and external trading. Its area is impressive on the map of the African Continent covering a geographical area of 12 Million (sq km). Its achievements to date have been significant. See the comprehensive statistics At the opening ceremony of the summit, outgoing chairman of COMESA Authority, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki gave a report on progress made since the last summit in Nairobi in 2007, including the movement towards harmonization of policies between COMESA and the other economic blocs of the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community towards an African Economic Community. He said he was encouraged by the fact that intra-COMESA trade had 52 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, up from three billion dollars the previous year.

"As we collectively position ourselves to ushering the next milestone on our regional agenda, let us also remain fully aware of the broader agenda on the integration of the African continent. It is necessary that we focus on the bigger picture by strengthening our relations with other regional blocs," Kibaki said.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni thanked the Zimbabwean political leadership and people for coming up with an inclusive government and averting a potentially serious conflict. He also said COMESA should push for first world status and look at how it can take advantage of the current global economic crisis.

"We need to find how best we can survive and even how best we can take advantage of it," he said. Vice Chairman of African Union Commission Erastus Mwencha decried the fact that although Africa was represented at the last G20 summit, it was still to remove a stimulus package as pledged there. He stressed the need for Africa to consolidate its strategies with climate change, whose effects he said could affect the lives of its citizens.

The customs union aims to lift tariffs among member states while harmonizing barriers with third parties through the Common External Tariff, which the community's heads of state and government adopted in May 2007.

With the theme of "Consolidating Regional Integration through Value Addition, Trade and Food Security", the summit followed a meeting of the Council of Ministers from Tuesday to Thursday and talks of COMESA foreign ministers on Friday and Saturday. The summit, which had originally been set for last year, has been postponed twice.

The COMESA made a put-off decision first to allow the host country Zimbabwe to complete its electoral process which finally gave birth to the formation of an all inclusive government. The meeting was later postponed again as organizers took into account the need to begin the process of implementing the decisions of the summit of three trading blocs held in Uganda last year regarding the harmonization of Free Trade Areas and common external tariffs.

COMESA, headquartered in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, was formed in 1994 to replace its forerunner, the Preferential Trade Area. It enjoys an aggregate population of about 400 million and combined GDP of over 360 billion U.S. dollars.

Madagascar Suspended From Southern African Group

Madagascar Suspended From Southern African Group

(NSI News Source Info) LOZITHA, Swaziland - March 31, 2009: Madagascar's neighbors have suspended the impoverished nation from their regional development and democracy club, and threatened Tuesday to take further steps if the Indian Ocean island's ousted president is not restored to power. A Southern African Development Community summit that ended early Tuesday also called on the West to lift sanctions against another member, Zimbabwe. Madagascan police controls a street intersection in downtown Antananarivo on March 28, 2009. Supporters of Madagascar's ousted president Marc Ravalomanana turned out for the sixth consecutive day of protest against the toppling of their leader 11 days ago. Up to 20,000 demonstrators gathered in Democracy Square in the capital Antananarivo, where some government officials called for a national strike to begin on Monday. Street protests led by opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, who accused Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana of corruption and mismanagement, brought down Ravalomanana earlier this month. Ravalomanana ceded power to the military, which declared Rajoelina the new president. Tomaz Salomao, executive director of the southern African group, said the summit urged Rajoelina "to vacate the office of the president as matter of urgency, paving the way for unconditional reinstatement of President Ravalomanana." If that does not happen, the leaders said in a communique that followed the daylong summit, the regional group would work with the African Union and the United Nations to "consider other options to restore constitutional normalcy." The African Union had earlier condemned Rajoelina and suspended Madagascar until it has a government elected through fair and transparent elections. Western nations have also voiced concern at what critics say was a coup, and Washington cut all non-humanitarian aid to Madagascar. The southern African leaders had been expected to impose sanctions on Madagascar. Their decision on Zimbabwe may offer a clue why they did not. In their communique, the southern Africans "urged the developed countries to lift all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe as these sanctions will undermine the country's and (regional) efforts to normalize the situation in that member state." Zimbabwe's inflation is the world's highest and has left most of its people dependent on foreign handouts, and a cholera outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people since August. President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its 1980 independence from Britain, blames Western sanctions for Zimbabwe's economic collapse. But the longtime opposition party blames mismanagement and corruption by Mugabe's party. Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai formed a unity government earlier this year after months of negotiations.

Germany Condemns Takeover Of Power In Madagascar

Germany Condemns Takeover Of Power In Madagascar

(NSI News Source Info) Berlin - March 22, 2009: Germany condemned on Friday the transfer of power in Madagascar and called for a return to democracy on the Indian Ocean island. Madagascar's army-backed Andry Rajoelina is installed as the country's new president in Antananarivo March 21, 2009. Jubilant supporters cheered the installation of Rajoelina on Saturday -- but foreign ambassadors stayed away in a unanimous show of international disapproval. A foreign ministry spokesman said moves by the new leadership to dissolve parliament and the senate 'are further steps that point in the wrong direction.' Spokesman Jens Ploettner said Germany wanted to see the constitution upheld and a return to democratic values in Madagascar. He said it was up to the new leadership to 'ensure there is no further loss of human life or renewed outbreaks of violence.' The president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, on Tuesday relinquished power under pressure from the military. He ceded control to mutinous generals, who in turn appointed opposition leader Andry Rajoelina as interim president. Ravalomanana's surrender after being holed up in the presidential palace for days brought months of political turmoil to a head. Rajoelina has pledged to hold elections in two years.

African Union Suspends Madagascar Over 'Coup'

African Union Suspends Madagascar Over 'Coup'

(NSI News Source Info) March 22, 2009: The African Union suspended Madagascar today for what it called a coup after the military forced the elected president from office and handed power to a populist opposition leader. The Indian Ocean island's new leader, Andry Rajoelina, has suspended parliament and threatened to arrest members of the deposed government for abuse of power over the killing of more than 100 people in demonstrations this year. Andry Rajoelina parades through the streets of Antananarivo, Madagascar, after taking control of the presidency. The AU's peace and security council said that the removal of the former president, Marc Ravalomanana, who signed a resignation document after the army took over his office earlier this week, was illegal. The council chairman, Bruno Nongoma Zidouemba, said it "can be interpreted as a coup". "The council is of the opinion that what occurred in Madagascar enters the definition of unconstitutional change of government," he said. "The council then decided to suspend the participation of Madagascar to the bodies and organs of the AU." Madagascar's highest court has ruled that the handover of power, in which Ravalomanana ceded control to a military leadership which then installed Rajoelina, is constitutional despite the fact that he is six years younger than the legal requirement for a president to be at least 40 years old. The AU said that the constitutional path required the president to hand power to the speaker of parliament and for elections to be held within two months. Rajoelina is promising a ballot within two years. If Madagascar does not restore constitutional order within six months, the AU can impose sanctions. The organisation has also suspended Mauritania and Guinea after military takeovers in recent months. Yesterday the Southern African Development Community, of which Madagascar is a member, refused to recognise Rajoelina as president. SADC said it "condemns in the strongest terms the circumstances that led to the ousting of a democratically elected president of Madagascar". Rajoelina, who is scheduled to be sworn in as leader of a transitional government on Saturday, is also facing rejection from beyond the continent. The US has described the handover as "an undemocratic transfer of power" and the EU has said Ravalomanana's removal was a coup d'etat. Madagascar's new prime minister, Monja Roindefo, said the situation is misunderstood. "Maybe the European Union's vision is a bit blurred," he said. "We'll explain the real situation. Maybe the way Madagascar acts is not very clear. Things can be a bit specific which may be difficult to follow in every detail."