Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al Bashir, right and Zimbabwean Deputy President Joyce Mujuru, left , upon his arrival in the resort town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Saturday, June 6, 2009. (AP)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail Reporter
PRESIDENT MUGABE yesterday left the country to join other African and Arab Heads of State and Government attending today’s Second Afro-Arab Summit in Sirte, Libya.
He was seen off at the Harare International Airport by Vice-President Mujuru; Ministers Webster Shamu (Media, Information and Publicity); Emmerson Mnangagwa (Defence) and Sydney Sekeramayi (State Security) as well as service chiefs.
Cde Mujuru is the Acting President.
Foreign Affairs Minister Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi is already in the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for preparatory meetings.
Today’s summit, which brings together 66 heads of African and Arab countries, is taking place 33 years after the first held in Cairo, Egypt, in March 1977.
It was jointly organised by the African Union Commission; League of Arab States and the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in line with the decision of the 15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union held in Kampala, Uganda, in July this year and the relevant decision of the Arab Summit.
Up for consideration is a joint report by the chairperson of the Commission and the secretary-general of the League of Arab States on political and economic developments in Africa and the Arab regions.
The leaders are also expected to adopt a new strategic framework focusing on four priority areas, which include politics, peace and security; investment promotion and exchanges; agriculture and food security as well as social and cultural co-operation.
The summit will also endorse a plan of action which elaborates specific areas for strategic co-operation under the four identified areas and provides implementation, follow-up and monitoring mechanisms.
The new plan of action replaces the “Declaration and Programme of Action on Afro-Arab Co-operation” adopted by the First Afro-Arab Summit.
Today’s gathering is also expected to adopt resolutions and a political declaration. As part of the preparatory process, a high-level forum on investment and trade was convened in Tripoli from September 25 to 26.
The forum sought to afford the private sector players of the two regions the opportunity to discuss practical problems of investment and trade exchanges between African and Arab countries.
Two principal papers on investment and trade as well as five sectoral papers on energy, water resources, food security, infrastructure and human resources development were presented.
The outcome of the deliberations will be tabled before the Heads of State for consideration. The Preparatory Committee of the Second Afro-Arab Summit comprises senior officials from Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco and Tanzania as well as the African Union Commission and the general secretariat of the League of Arab States.
The Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Co-operation is made up of foreign affairs ministers of 24 African and Arab countries which include Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Congo (Republic), Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
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