Maravi

Maintain unity, Levy urges Zim

Maintain unity, Levy urges Zim
By Bivan Saluseki and Brighton Phiri
Friday August 17, 2007 [04:00]

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa has urges Zimbabweans to maintain unity and safeguard their hard-won independence. And SADC secretary general Dr Tomaz Augusto Salomão has disclosed that the regional body has a recovery plan for Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, former presidents Dr Kaunda and Frederick Chiluba attended the summit together.

In his welcome address to the summit yesterday, President Mwanawasa said most countries in the region had in the past gone through trying times with food shortages, lack of basic commodities and high inflation but that did not result in violence.

"I should appeal to all Zimbabweans to maintain unity and safeguard their hard-won independence. Most countries in the region, with the exception of a few like South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia, have in the past come through very trying times with shortages of basic commodities and high inflation. Most of these countries did not resort to violence and upheavals in spite of difficulties," he said.

"My strong advice to the brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe is that maintain peace and stability because the opposite will just push you further backwards. In the meantime, SADC has been there for you."

President Mwanawasa said SADC was always there to assist where it could.
He said the SADC spirit had returned to its birthplace since its genesis was in Lusaka.
"As SADC reconvenes, it's difficult for one not to take stock of what has happened," he said.



President Mwanawasa said the liberation of South Africa was the last.
“I wish to thank the old folks for an excellent job,” he said.

President Mwanawasa said there were many things which were being done together as SADC such as easing of cross border travel and harmonising of banking practices.
“The region is undergoing positive economic transformation not seen in many years,” he noted.

President Mwanawasa said the challenge was to maintain the growth rate and reduce poverty among the people.

President Mwanawasa said Zambia was one of the countries contributing to the region’s growth.

“Inflation rate is now firmly under control and below single digit limits. Zambia expects even a stronger growth in the next few years,” he said.
President Mwanawasa said mining had increased and the country envisages one million tonnes in the next five years.

He said such development was because of good policies that had been put in place for a stable and strong investment.

President Mwanawasa said the challenge was to push the SADC agenda forward so that when the next summit is held, those coming would reflect with a sense of satisfaction.

And in his acceptance statement as the new Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairman, President Mwanawasa said after the DOHA Round initiative in Qatar in 2001, where Africa and other developing countries’ development challenges were recognised and that efforts would be made through the multilateral process to address them, it was disheartening that almost six years down the line, very little progress had been achieved.

“The agreed principles on the application of special and differential treatment in order to afford the developing countries some policy space, the inclusion of the aid for trade package and the decision to enhance the least developed countries’ integrated framework to address the supply side constraints raised our expectation,” President Mwanawasa said.

“We expected that the challenges we face in the global trading system would effectively be addressed to accord our countries real and tangible benefits. However, the pace and lack of progress in the negotiations has left us all wondering as to whether we should have had such high expectations.”

President Mwanawasa said the stronger members of the global community continued to debate whilst African countries continued to deteriorate and experience high poverty levels.

President Mwanawasa said it was his desire as SADC chairman to engage his colleagues in the region to see how best the situation could be addressed.
He said a prolonged breakdown of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) would not be in the interest of Africa.

“I am aware of the enormous challenge of guiding the overall implementation of the SADC common agenda and the priorities outlined in the regional indicative strategic development plan,” he said. “As a region, we, therefore, need to continue pressing upon our trading partners to decisively address the real concerns that have hindered our effective participation in global trade for this Round to truly deemed as a development Round.”

He cited infrastructure development as one of the priorities outlined in the regional indicative strategic plan.

“In order to achieve this goal, road, rail, air transport, telecommunications and energy development are going to be the main catalysts of our integration process,” he said.
President Mwanawasa reminded SADC leaders that during the Maseru summit last year, they made a co-operative undertaking to scale up the execution of the region’s integration agenda.

“I am counting on all of you to ensure that we concretise the Maseru Declaration in the implementation of the SADC programmes in the coming year,” he told SADC leaders.

“In the coming year, we must continue to work together by leveraging our capabilities and use the vehicle of regional integration to develop our region. Together, we must ensure that all the SADC institutions fully exploit existing opportunities and explore new ones in order to promote and accelerate regional integration in a dynamic manner.”

He said SADC would consolidate its position and influence in African and international affairs if it achieved higher levels of sustainable economic growth and socio-economic development.

President Mwanawasa urged the SADC leaders to simultaneously mobilise resources and develop capacity effectively.

He said the establishment of the SADC development fund, as agreed at the extra-ordinary summit held in Midrand, South Africa last year would facilitate the mobilisation of resources for the development of infrastructure in the region.
President Mwanawasa called for the expedition of the establishment of the SADC development fund.

He urged the SADC leaders to focus on the infrastructure programmes and projects that facilitated quick and efficient linkages in their communication systems.
“This requires prioritising the development of the regional trunk road network, strategic air transport facilities and the most effective telecommunication network that will enhance intra-regional travel and communication,” he said.

President Mwanawasa reminded SADC member states that they were in one way or the other engaged in a multitude of sub-regional, regional, inter-regional and multilateral trade negotiations which were likely to have significant implications for their region’s development prospects.

He urged the SADC leaders to ensure that all the various instruments were contributing towards promoting the region and Africa’s trade and development interests.
“The underpinning principles of our economic agenda must continue to be driven by our regional indicative strategic development programme which is premised on poverty alleviation, sustainable development and equitable distribution of wealth amongst the members of SADC,” he said.

He said it was a fact that SADC countries continued to face a lot of challenges.
President Mwanawasa observed that the consolidation of Free Trade Area had remained elusive due to the inherent production structures, which had remained unfavourable, and continued existence of intra- regional trade barriers amongst the SADC member states.

He said the situation was compounded by the existence of a number of overlapping and conflicting regional integration programmes.

President Mwanawasa expressed his happiness that the joint ministerial task force of ministers of trade and finance had made some recommendations on the possible options on the regional developments.

He said his priorities would include ensuring the full operationalisation of a full trade area in which SADC member states fully implemented their commitment towards tariff liberalisation and elimination of non-tariff barriers.

President Mwanawasa said he would ensure that the institutional framework for the pending Customs Union was in place, accompanied by the necessary industrial and competition policies.

He said making choices on membership to the various regional institutions should not be an option, but work towards building the African Union, starting with the consolidation of the free trade area.

“Once this is achieved, it will also set a good basis for the implementation of a sustainable SADC customs union,” he said.
President Mwanawasa urged the SADC member states to continue strengthening regional frameworks that promoted democracy and good governance.

He further urged the SADC member states to consolidate their institutions that combat vices such as corruption, which threatened to reverse the region’s development efforts.
“In this regard, the proposal to establish a Southern African Anti-corruption Commission as reflected in the Protocol on Corruption is welcome,” he said.

President Mwanawasa observed that the climatic change was a threat to food security in the region.

He called for strengthening of capacities in early warning and drought mitigation strategies in order to respond to the climatic uncertainties that had confronted the region.
President Mwanawasa said global warming was now considered one of the most serious threats towards sustainable development.

“It adversely impacts on the environment, human life, food security, natural resources, infrastructure and almost all economic activities,” he said. “It includes floods, droughts, rising sea levels, declining agricultural productivity, food shortages to mention but a few.”

And Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili urged the SADC leaders to review the region’s energy crisis as energy shortfalls could derail their countries’ economic growth.
“We need to adopt a clear strategy to address this matter as an integral part of the regional integration framework,” he said.

Prime Minister Mosisili said the challenges of overlapping membership and configurations on the regions’ Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations with the European Union, continued to haunt SADC countries.
“We will, therefore, need to carefully strategise at national level in order to make our integration agenda a reality,” he said.

He called for the implementation of the Dar es Salaam declaration on agriculture, which he said could assist the region to attain food security and reduce its dependence on handouts from outside the region.

Prime Minister Mosisili urged the SADC member states to assist Angola to move with deliberate haste towards its general elections.
He urged the SADC leaders to fight for a SADC wide enabling investment climate, complementary and supportive investment,

“The current one is characterised by skewed market access, double standards on subsidies and other non-reciprocal trade measures,” he said. “Our first step is to promote and increase trade amongst ourselves by focusing, more then ever on market integration and all efforts that add value to the regional integration.”

He asked the SADC leaders to focus on effective operationalisation of their corridor whose impact on land-locked countries had a telling effect on the landing costs of both their imports and exports.

And President Joseph Kabila of the Democractic Republic of Congo and Angola’s Eduardo dos Santos joined their colleagues yesterday.
And electricity supply to the conference was disrupted for a few minutes during the summit, sending personnel into panic.

The stand by generator could not produce enough power to light up the hall.
During introductions, President Mugabe received the loudest and longest applause from the audience.

President Mugabe responded with a smile before President Mbeki shook his hand.
SADC executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salomao said the summit had made a historical comeback after 27 years.

He said 27 years ago, the former leaders began a long march to emancipate the future.
Dr Salomao said the journey was not without hurdles.
He said despite the region progressing economically, 50 per cent of the people still live beyond the poverty datum line.

Dr Salomao said unemployment was still high.
He said inspite of some quarters of instability in the DRC, peace in that country was irreversible.
Dr Salomao said the imbalances of the past had been replaced equitable distribution of resources because of peace and stability.


He said with global challenges, SADC must search for domestic alternatives.
And answering questions from journalists over the adopted report of the SADC council of ministers on Wednesday evening, Dr Salomão said his mission to Zimbabwe had indicated three things.

“Number one is that Zimbabwe is a viable economy,” he said.
Dr Salomão said the second was that Zimbabwe was a country operating under sanctions.
“The economy of Zimbabwe is under sanctions,” he said.
Dr Salomão said from his mission to Zimbabwe and findings, he had interactions with 100 stakeholders.

“In Zimbabwe, it is difficult to separate politics from the economy or the economy from politics. They are inter-connected,” he said.
“There is a recovery plan but I can’t share it with you.”
However, Dr Salomão admitted there were problems in Zimbabwe.

“Zimbabwe is a problem and we want to assist and we want to help Zimbabwe overcome the problems,” he said.
He said the role of the council was to adopt the agenda.

He said the meeting was very good with frank discussions and the ministerial community of the organ which is Tanzania, Namibia and Angola met at 20:00 hours.
The troika met to deal with issues on the political situation in the region and to approve the report of the chairperson of the organ on politics, defence and security to the summit.
The troika also tried to agree on the way forward.

This follows the summit in Dar-es-Salaam where South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki was assigned with the mission to mediate the dialogue between government and the ruling party in Zimbabwe and the opposition.
He was tasked to assess the economic situation in Zimbabwe and to submit the report to summit.

President Mbeki and Dr Salomão are expected to submit their reports to the summit.
On Wednesday evening, both submitted their reports to the summit of their troika of the organ.

The main agenda item to the council was first the assessment of the political situation in the region.

Labels: MUGABE, MWANAWASA, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 4:08 AM