Thinkerman Posted July 14, 2003 Unite Against Graft, Says Kibaki The Nation (Nairobi) July 13, 2003 Nairobi Let us fight tribalism and poverty together, he tells African Union President Mwai Kibaki has called on African countries to unite against corruption, tribalism and poverty, which he termed enemies of unity in the continent. The President said most of Africa's problems were caused by poor governance. He said the unity exhibited by Kenyans in the last elections represented the aspirations of African people in fighting the problems afflicting them. "This is what the Kenyan people united for. Corruption, tribalism and poverty are the real enemies to an integrated Africa. We must fight these ills together," he said. President Kibaki was addressing the second ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union on Friday evening in Maputo, Mozambique. It was his first international assignment outside the East Africa since he took over the presidency on December 30, and spoke moments after holding lengthy discussions with United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, and World Bank President Horst Kohler. President Kibaki thanked those who sent him congratulatory messages on his election. "I would like to thank the many leaders with us here, who have sent us congratulatory messages, following my election as President of the Republic of Kenya. "I acknowledge the active role played by the African Union observer mission in declaring the election as having been free, fair, and an expression of the will of the Kenyan people," he said. The President said last year's launching of the African Union in Durban, South Africa, reflected the realisation that integration was the most viable strategy for Africa's development. The President appealed to the international community to avoid exaggerating small differences between African countries and instead help them to unite. The President urged the members to play an active role in conflict resolution in Africa. Kenya, he said, had made good progress in the mediation of the Sudanese and Somalia peace initiatives. He was confident that through sustained mediation and the resolve demonstrated by the parties in the Sudan conflict, Africa's longest running conflict would be brought to an end soon. On the Somali issue, the President reported that the Somali National Reconciliation Conference in Nairobi had entered a critical phase focusing on power sharing. He expressed gratitude to the international community for their support for the conference. Acknowledging the complimentary role played by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) to the AU, the President said there was need to harmonise the organisation's programmes with the economic agenda of the union to avoid duplication of activities. He, however, expressed concern over the non-representation of East and Central African countries in Nepad's steering committee. He hoped that the forum would resolve the issue and incorporate two additional members to represent the two regions. Kenya, he said, had raised the issue of non-representation of East and Central African countries in the steering committee. "We see a need to incorporate two additional members in the committee to represent the two regions." On health, the President called for more intensified efforts in containing HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis. On Aids, he said the major challenge was in the provision of drugs which were currently out of reach for most people in Africa. He said there was need to look for new financial resources to supplement the efforts of the Global Fund for Aids and target millions of children orphaned by the disease. Mr Kibaki said Kenya was committed to fighting terrorism, stressing that Kenya will co-operate with other members of the African Union and the international community in pursuing a common approach against the vice. Accompanying the President are Cabinet ministers Kalonzo Musyoka, Prof Anyang' Nyong'o, Dr Newton Kulundu, Dr Chris Murungaru and Permanent Secretaries Peter ole Nkuraiya and David Nalo. Meanwhile, President Kibaki, who had a busy day in Maputo, also held talks on Friday with Presidents Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia and Omar el Bashir of Sudan, and the World Trade Organisation Director-General, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi. President Kibaki briefed El Bashir on the ongoing Sudan peace talks in Nakuru. He informed Dr Panitchpakdi of Kenya's position regarding the upcoming World Trade Organisation meeting to be held in September. ---------------------------------------------------------------- P.S Women Slowly Making Political Inroads Source: Allafrica.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dhimbil Posted July 14, 2003 This is what AFRICA needs... UNITY...UNITY...UNITY Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
