LOC13:01
10:01 GMT
BRUSSELS, April 27 (KUNA) -- The African Union (AU) and the European Union
(EU) held their 14th Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg on Monday evening and
launched the preparations for the 3rd Africa-EU Summit on November 29-30 in
Libya.
According to an EU statement here today, both sides agreed to coordinate
further preparations and report back for the next Ministerial meeting in
October in Lilongwe, Malawi.
The ministers welcomed the largely peaceful conduct of the recent elections
in Sudan and commended the people of the Sudan for their active
participation.
They noted the efforts to form a new government and called upon all parties
to settle outstanding differences .
Both sides stressed the need for all parties to fully respect the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to address the remaining implementation issues,
in particular the holding of the referendum on Southern Sudan's
self-determination in January 2011 and the necessary arrangements for the
post-referendum period;
The Luxembourg meeting was co-chaired by on the EU side by Catherine
Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, an d
Professor Eta E. Banda, Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Republic of Malawi
led the AU delegation which also include Dr Maxwell. M. Mkwezlamba, AU
Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Ambassador Ramtane Lamara, AU Commissioner
for Peace and Security and M. Hadeiba A. Alhadi, Ambassador of Libya.
On Somalia, the ministers recalled the significance of the Agreement
between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah
signed in Addis Ababa on 15 March and emphasized the need to scale-up support
for the initiative.
They encouraged the signatories to ensure speedy and effective
implementation, and called upon the TFG to pursue its policy of inclusiveness
with a view to accommodating all Somalis committed to peace and national
reconciliation .
The statement said both sides were looking forward to the holding of the
postponed High Level Meeting of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership and the
envisaged endorsement of operational energy targets for the coming years.
Ministers welcomed the forthcoming Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation
Program and encouraged the use of climate funding to support it.
On climate change, ministers welcomed ongoing efforts in the implementation
of the fast start component of the Copenhagen Accord with focus on Africa,
recalling the African Group's proposals presented in Copenhagen.
Ministers agreed to pursue this dialogue in order to build a common
EU-Africa vision towards a global legally binding Agreement on Climate Change.
In light of the continuous difficult situation emanating from the economic
and financial crisis, Ministers put particular emphasis on the situation of
African countries and stressed the need to honor the commitments made,
including those at the London and Pittsburgh G20 Summits and underlined the
urgency to conclude the Doha Development Round of Trade Negotiations. (end)
nk.aj
KUNA 271301 Apr 10NNNN