Honourable Ministers,

Your Excellencies,

Mr Secretary-General,

Distinguished delegates,

Good morning. It is a pleasure as well as a great honour to be here with you all today. I should like to warmly welcome you to ACP House for this 85^th session of our Council. A number of very important issues appear on our agenda.

As you all know, this is a crucial year for our Group since all 6 regions have made a political commitment to conclude negotiations of the EPAs by 31^st December 2007, the date when the WTO waiver for the Cotonou trade preferences shall expire. The European Commission has made it clear that it will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no ACP region takes the view that more time is required to complete the negotiations.  The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council that met on 15^th May has adopted new conclusions on the EPAs. Make no mistake about it, the EPAs will constitute one of the biggest challenges in the ACP-EU partnership this year.

Negotiations in the WTO are also of cardinal importance, notably issues having an impact on ACP countries, the Doha Development Agenda as well as Aid for Trade.

Moreover, the Group is also focused on the decision on the partial reallocation of the reserve of the envelope for long-term development under the 9^th EDF and on Intra-ACP Programming under the 10^th.

The worrying political situation in some of our Member States will also require that we engage in a discussion on Intra-ACP political dialogue and ACP-EU relations. Unfortunately, some of our regions are still bedevilled by the persistence and recalcitrance of the scourge of conflict. Recently the ACP approved a request from the European Commission to replenish the African Peace Facility for AMIS (African Union Mission in the Sudan) whose budget is all but exhausted.

Moreover, the ACP-EU Council, meeting on Friday will adopt a very important decision relating to the creation of a legal basis for EU Member States to make voluntary contributions to Africa Peace Facility. We have also requested that the Peace Facility be extended to the whole Group.

Dear Colleagues, the ACP Group has also reached a juncture in its existence when it has decided to undertake the task of redefining its mission. While the European Union remains a major and important partner for our Group, it is essential that the ACP determines its position in relation to an expanding EU and new emerging economies.

These are all issues of importance to us which require vision and political will. In this ever changing world, we should sustain our faith in each other and maintain and consolidate our bonds of unity and solidarity. Let us never forget that we are carrying a responsibility to those generations that have come before us, whose foundation we are now striving to consolidate, and those who will come after us. We owe it to them not only to maintain the momentum but to take it to a higher level.

Before we start on our proceedings, I would like to thank the ACP Group in general, and my region in particular, for the trust that they have placed in me to chair these sessions. I consider it a great honour for myself as well as for my country and I would like to commit myself to spare no effort in proving myself worthy of the trust you have placed in me. Needless to say, I shall be relying on your assistance so that our discussions may take place in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual understanding.