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Press Note - Joint meeting of ACP Foreign Affairs Ministers and the ACP Council of Ministers KHARTOUM, SUDAN ,6 DECEMBER 2006 ACP Foreign Affairs Ministers and the ACP Council of Ministers held a joint meeting in Khartoum (Sudan) on Wednesday 6 December 2006 to prepare the 5th ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government. Under the chairmanship of Dr Lam Akol, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan, the meeting examined the agenda, the programme of the Summit and the elements of the Declaration to be adopted by ACP leaders. The Ministers discussed and reached agreements on the main chapters of the Khartoum Declaration. The chapters were : The meeting also heard the presentation of the report from the ACP Council of Ministers to the 5th Summit on the implementation of the decision of previous Summits and important developments relevant to the ACP Group. During this session, the representative from Fiji provided the participants with statements on the political situations in Fiji and Tonga. The meeting adopted a declaration on the political situation in Fiji condemning the coup d’etat that took place on 5 December 2006. In their declaration, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of democracy and the rule of law as the basis for resolving problems using lawful means through democratic processes and institutions. The opening ceremony of the 5th ACP Summit will be held on Thursday morning with notably statements by HE Mr Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique and President of the 4th Summit, and HE Mr Omar Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan. About 200 participants are expected at this meeting. The theme of the 5th ACP Summit is “United for peace, solidarity and sustainable development”. ACP leaders will discuss the situation in the six ACP regions with regard to peace, security and stability, the mechanisms for strengthening intra-ACP cooperation, the progress of the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreements and the future of the Group. • The Summit of Heads of State and Government is the supreme organ of the ACP Group. It defines the broad orientations of the Group. Since 1997, it has regularly brought together the Heads of State and Government of the Member States to define the major thrust of the general policy of the Group. It also issues directives to the Council of Ministers for implementation. • Previous ACP Summits : • For more information, http://www.5thacpsummit.gov.sd/ • ACP Countries |
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