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[Tripoli, 23.06.2008-JANA]
The 10th
ordinary session of the presidential council of Cen-sad
opened yesterday in Cotonou, Republic of Benin with great
attendance of the leaders of the states partners.
In the
deep of the general assembly, President of Benin, Mr. Yayi
Boni, in his speech highlighted as reported JANA, the
energetic CEN-SAD which started with five countries and now
comprises 26. Highlighting the standing of CEN-SAD in
Africa, President Boni said "it occupies a major space in
Africa namely 45% of the continent's area, and 48% of its
population."
President Boni underscored the importance of exploiting the
huge potentials of the area of CEN-SAD and the need to carry
out a socio-economic development and to ensure the food
security in the CEN-SAD space. He suggested that a body be
set up to coordinate agricultural activities in Africa in
order to achieve food security and better manage water
resources and also, saluted the Leader's initiatives to
settle conflicts within CEN-SAD and beyond.
Addressing the session, the Secretary General of CEN-SAD
extended in the name of the leaders of the community thanks
and gratitude to the Leader of the revolution, saying
“the Leader had thrown all his weight behind the Secretariat
of CEN-SAD, indeed he was a big support to us, and in your
name I wish to express to him and to the Libyan people the
most sincere appreciation and gratitude. Ten years ago, the
Leader had proposed to presidents of Mali, Niger, Sudan,
Chad and Burkina Faso to set up a regional organization that
satisfies the aspirations of the CEN-SAD peoples for unity
and integration and to be shield against attempts of
hegemony, polarization and containment”. (…) “Those
attempts which manifested themselves in different forms,
ostensibly to promote closer ties but secretly laboured to
divide the continent between white north and black south...
French-speaking and English- speaking regions and other
different ploys."
Recording the historic Tripoli Summit held in February 4-5,
1998 that saw the birth of CEN-SAD, the Secretary General of
CEN-SAD listed the major issues in Africa related to peace
and security in the space of CEN-SAD and that on the agenda
of the coming AU Summit. He also addresses the development
issues and the course the Community is taking on the African
and international levels.
The
Secretary General of CEN-SAD pointed out that the peoples of
the Republic of Ivory Coast and the Comoros are full of hope
after peace and stability which have been restored, as it is
the case in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Central African
Republic. He expressed disappointment of the Secretariat
over the continuation of crises in Somalia, Darfur and
eastern Chad and the newly-erupted conflict on the
Eritrean-Djibouti border.
"The
reason why such conflicts continued is because of a grave
violation of the CEN-SAD provisions and the disregard of the
peace charter agreed by all", he said.
The
Secretary General of CEN-SAD saluted the effort of the
Leader of the Revolution, urging all conflicting parties to
renounce the use of violence as means to solve their
conflicts and resort to dialogue to solve conflicts
peacefully. He reiterated CEN-SAD'S stance which
categorically opposes the use of arms to solve problems.
"CEN-SAD TOTALLY opposes the use of arms as means to protest
or bring about change regardless of the issues in dispute."
(…) “CEN-SAD will staunchly stand up to any attempts to
undermine the legitimate institutions or those which
advocate change by force”. He urged all member countries to
ratify the CEN-SAD mechanism for deterring, managing and
resolving conflicts.
The
agenda of the 10th session comprises issues of
high importance including among others peace and security
and the discussion of crises and tension in CEN-SAD zone.
The General Secretariat of the Community underlined the need
for this session to adopt resolutions that cater for the
demands of the African masses to immediately set up the
African Federal Government, and that CEN-SAD should advocate
and defend this idea at the next AU conference in Egypt. It
stressed that CEN-SAD was an outstanding response to
Barcelona; it calls for consolidating the unity of the
continent and the need to collectively engage in the
Euro-African dialogue.
The
Community's General Secretariat said that last year was full
of activities, and the outcome will be presented to the
Conference of Leaders and Heads of State in this session,
through a number of sector's reports in the areas of youth,
sports, defense, security, transportation, infrastructure,
food security and rural development, in addition to a number
agreements aimed at promoting peace and security, and
realizing sustainable development reaching to integration.
(…)
The
Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mr. Jean Ping,
underlined the importance of speeding up African unity and
integration... saying that if this isn't realized, the
status quo will further marginalize the continent. He
underlined the importance that African speaks with a single
voice, and work as a single entity, if the continent were to
be significant in the world of globalization era, where
integration has become a necessity. “We should have our
independence towards the outside world by working hand by
hand to prepare our resources and to make it more
productive. I am convinced more than any time that we have
the wisdom, ability, the men and women to realize our
objectives”, he said.
The
Leader of the Revolution, President of the Conference of
Leaders and Heads of State of the Community, opened the
Community's 10th Session, which coincides with
the 10th anniversary of its establishment, with a
speech in which he extended an important message to Africa
and the world, declaring new activities concerning the life
of citizens of the community.
Continuing with details provided by JANA, the leader
stressed that the CEN-SAD community is expanding and
extending from the Gulf of Guinea, to Red Sea, African Horn,
to Sao Tome Principe, it was the corner 54 stone for the
African Union, and the success of the community encouraged
Africa to declare the African Union... Syrt Declaration on
9-9-99 and it actually forms the base of the African
pyramid, and the broad and firm base of the African
continent.
The
leader reviewed the immense resources of the community,
especially the world is now terrified and now hear about the
soaring price of raw material, food stuff, fuel, the spread
of disease and the climate phenomenon, which revealed that
there are climate change that are harmful. And in this
regard, he explained the climate advantages of the Sahara
region, which studies revealed would enjoy a better climate.
He
declared a mechanical agricultural campaign that will start
from Libya to modernize means of agricultural production in
the space of the community from the African horn to the Gulf
of Guinea, where hundreds of tractors will head to areas
ready for cultivation in the space of the community, so it
will be cultivated on behalf of the farmers who today use
primitive tools. He explained when President Yayi Boni takes
over the presidency of the community, during the coming
period, a long phase of the campaign will be accomplished,
which will provide food that would enable people overcome
their fear of the current global food crisis.
The
leader also declared the preparation of air and land
potential alongside the campaign, which could start from
Libya to combat plague and locust, which unfortunately
starts from the CEN-SAD area, especially from Ethiopia and
the African horn, by spraying forests and pastures in these
areas.
The
leader reiterated the importance of establishing the African
federal government, since it's an essential demand today and
tomorrow... he indicated that decisions taken by African
Union summits despites its importance have no significance,
since there are no executing mechanisms.
He
stressed that if the forthcoming African Union summit in
Egypt fails to establish the African federal government,
then we will head to people to expose those who obstruct
African unity to the African masses... he indicated that the
African federal government neither harm the rulers'
scepters, parliaments nor territories. Also, the leader
strongly called for abolishing regions that divided the
continent into five parts, and forms an obstacle in the path
of the continent's unity, which the report of the experts
team, charged by the African Union to evaluate the status of
the union, proved that they have failed with the exception
of the CEN-SAD community, which the report said it should
lead Africa and help transform the continent from the
current state. |
