Mozambique President Armando Guebuza with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. Guebuza has dismissed western imperialist claims that BRICS will colonize Africa., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Nov 5 2013 7:12AM
Zuma opens SADC, Great Lakes summit
President Jacob Zuma on Monday told delegates of a joint summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) that the decisions taken there would have consequences for Africa's future.
"Let us recognise the responsibility we carry, as regional leaders, and ensure that the decisions we take today in this summit will impact positively on our regional development programmes towards creating a better Africa and a better world," Zuma said in a speech prepared for delivery in Pretoria.
The summit would discuss solutions to problems facing the SADC and Great Lakes regions. It would also receive the United Nations Peace Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the region and consider its implementation.
"As you are aware, peace, security and stability are integral components of this agenda," he told delegates.
Zuma said that the two regions needed to work together to urgently restore peace and security, as the UN's Intervention Brigade had now been fully deployed to restore stability to the east of the DRC.
"South Africa is always ready to work with the UN, the African Union, SADC and the ICGLR in addressing such important challenges as national reconciliation, post conflict reconstruction and development, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration, as well as institutional capacity building and economic development.
"These can only be achieved if the necessary remedies are in place, to effectively deal with the continued threat posed by all insurgents groups operating within the territory of the DRC," he said.
-Sapa
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