LOC20:41
17:41 GMT
(With photos)
KUWAIT, Nov 3 (KUNA) -- Kuwait will host the Arab-African Summit on
November 19-20, in line with guidelines of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to repeat successful experience of organizing the
Arab Economic, Social, and Development Summit in 2009, Foreign Undersecretary
Khaled Al-Jarallah said on Sunday.
His Highness the Amir desires that the upcoming Arab-African Summit focuses
on economic issues and keep political affairs for discussion at other
quarters, said Al-Jarallah during a meeting with ambassadors of states due to
take part in the top-level conference, held at the Foreign Ministry
headquarters today.
A large number of meetings, held by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah with African ministers in New
York and other cities centered on the necessity that the summit conclude with
resolutions on "applicable matters," that political issues be avoided, with
emphasis on cooperation on economic and development affairs, Al-Jarallah said.
Avoiding political issues at the summit "will enable the participating
states' (officials) to think soundly and sensibly for sake of optimum
strategic partnership," stated Al-Jarallah at the meeting, attended by
Director General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KAFED)
Abdulwahab Al-Bader, Director of the Protocols Department Ambassador Dhari
Al-Ajran, Director of the Arab World Department Ambassador AbdulHameed
Al-Failakawi and Director of the Africa Department Hamad Al-Mashaan.
Al-Jarallah expressed hope that senior Arab and African officials, due to
hold preparatory talks ahead of the summit on November 14-15, would focus on
economic issues, cautioning that "raising political questions will waste
plenty of opportunities," noting that such topics could be examined at other
quarters.
The Undersecretary expressed hope that the ambassadors of the participating
states convey to their leaderships Kuwait's desire to center the debates at
the summit on the economic affairs, for discussions on such issues could serve
development in the Arab and African countries. He also hoped that most senior
leaders would take part in the summit.
The summit agenda will include several meetings; the tripartite meeting,
which comprises Kuwait, the African Union and the Arab League, on November 13,
a meeting of senior officials on November 14-15 and the ministerial meeting on
November 17. The participating top leaders will be received as of November 19
and the summit will be inaugurated on November 19 and conclude on the 20th of
the month.
Kuwait is looking forward for cooperation with "the brothers and friends in
the Arab and African states" and hopes the summit will help boost cooperation
among the participating states in a manner that will realize real strategic
partnership between the Arab and African states, he said, noting that Kuwait
will present certain ideas aimed at bolstering the cooperation among these
countries.
For his part, Al-Bader said at the meeting with the diplomats that the
Arab-African Economic Forum, due to be hosted by Kuwait on November 11-12, as
part of the summit activities, would be patronized by His Highness Prime
Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and would be attended by his
representative, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sheikh Salem
Abdulaziz Saud Al-Sabah.
The representative of HH the Premier will be the first personality to
address the first session of the forum, to be followed by a speech by the Arab
League Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Ahmad Bin Hilli, then by
Jean-Baptiste Toubo Tanam Natama, Chief of Staff to the Chairperson of the
African Union Commission.
The first session will include seminars about development, expertise
exchange, enterprise and prospects of investments in the Arab and African
countries. There will be also lectures in the later sessions, tackling
Arab-African cooperation on food security, boosting trade exchanges and NGOs'
role in supporting development.
The final statement would be referred to summit ministerial meeting, due on
November 17. (end)
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