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Preparations for Africa’s Great Lakes conference proceeding well – Annan

Preparations for Africa’s Great Lakes conference proceeding well – Annan

There is a new political momentum in Africa’s Great Lakes region as preparations proceed to stage an international conference on the area, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today.

There is a new political momentum in Africa’s Great Lakes region as preparations proceed to stage an international conference on the area, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today.

But there also remain challenges and constraints on organizing a successful conference, Mr. Annan warns in a report to the Security Council.

Mr. Annan says the establishment of a transitional government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the staging of general elections in Rwanda and the progress of the Burundi peace process means “there is a new momentum in the region on which it is important to capitalize.”

The Secretary-General says the Great Lakes region’s core countries – Burundi, the DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda – must focus on ensuring they have appropriate policies and programmes in place on the conference’s proposed thematic areas.

The first meeting of the regional preparatory committee for the conference is expected to take place next month, while the first of two summits involving Heads of States is scheduled for next June.

Mr. Annan’s report is in response to requests from the Security Council, which he says recognizes that the people of the Great Lakes region are so inter-linked that solutions to problems can only be reached regionally.