Central Africa still suffers from cross-border insecurity, Annan says

Despite some progress on improving security in Central Africa, cross-border insecurity, the smuggling of light weapons and the movement of refugees and internally displaced persons are among the situations that are still worrying, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said.

In a statement read by the representative of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Amadou Ouattara, Mr. Annan told regional Government ministers that the existence of latent tensions and violations of human rights are among the other factors creating major impediments to the consolidation of peace and the achievement of the socioeconomic Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Ouattara was representing Mr. Annan yesterday at the 22nd ministerial meeting of the UN Permanent Consultative Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, being hosted by the Republic of Congo in its capital, Brazzaville.

Mr. Annan noted that in mid-July the UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution on cooperation between the UN and the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) with a view to assisting CEEAC to strengthen its capacity for maintaining peace and security and undertaking reconstruction.