African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States  (ACP Group)						Groupe des Etats d'Afrique des Caraïbes et du Pacifique (Groupe ACP)
451 Avenue Georges Henri						Avenue Georges Henri, 451
1200 Brussels, Belgium						1200 Bruxelles, Belgique
Tel: 32 2 743 06 00						Fax: +32 2 735 55 73
email: info@acp.int						Website : http://www.acp.int
			SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 49TH MEETING OF THE  COUNCIL OF ACP MINISTERS  (LOME, TOGO, ON 14TH DECEMBER 1989) Ref: ACP/25/002/90 KK/evo  Brussels, 3rd March 990 Retyped by : bae

1. The 49^th session of the Council of ACP Ministers was chaired by Hon. Dr M.M. SEFALI, Minister of Planning of Kingdom of Lesotho, President of the ACP Council.

2. In his opening statement (hereto attached, in Annex I), the President notably welcomed the delegates to Lomé and reported on the implementation by the Presidential Group of the mandate from the Luxembourg Council concerning the finalization of the negotiations. He referred Council, in this connection, to the comprehensive report prepared by the Committee of Ambassadors on the negotiations (doc. ACP/00/522/89) and highlighted the main issues contained therein.

3. Speaking next, the Minister of Planning and Mining of Togo, H.E. Mr Moussa Barry BARQUE, welcomed on behalf of the Government and people of Togo, the delegates and thanked them for choosing Lomé as the venue for the signing ceremony. He also paid tribute on the hand to the Presidential Group, in particular to the ACP President, for successfully finalizing the negotiations; on the other, to the outgoing Secretary General, Dr E. W. CARRINGTON for his contribution to the ACP cause for over 10 years. Finally, after congratulating the incoming Secretary General, Dr Ghebray BERHANE for his election, Minister BARQUE underlined the need for all ACP States to work in view of a successful implementation of the new Convention.

4. Item I : Adoption of the agenda [doc. ACP/25/028/89 Rev.2]

Council adopted the agenda for its meeting as presented in document ACP/25/028/89 Rev.2 herewith attached in Annex II.

5. Item 2 : Communication from the President

The President indicated that his opening remarks contained the main items his communication.

6. Item 3 : Appointment of a Rapporteur

Council designated Togo, the host country, as Rapporteur for the 49^th ACP Ministerial session.

7. Nominations received from 4 out of the 5 other regions for the Friends of the Rapporteur were as followed :

FIJI

CHAD

THE BAHAMAS

BOTSWANA

8. East Africa was to notify Council subsequently of its designation.

9. Item 4 : Consideration of the activity report of the Committee of Ambassadors since the 48^th session of Council held in Brussels in October 1989 [ACP/26/135/89 Rev.1]

The above three-page report covering the six weeks's activity of the Committee of Ambassadors since the 48^th ACP Council held in October 1989 was introduced by

H. E. Mr K. TAVOLA, Ambassador of Fiji, Chairman of the Committee of Ambassadors.

10. The Chairman's report dwelt on the following areas :

1. the activities of the Committee of Ambassadors in connection with the servicing of the ACP Presidential Negotiating Group for the finalization on the negotiations;

1. the preparation by the Committee of Ambassadors for the Second ACP-EEC Foreign Ministers' meeting which took place in Brussels, at the Charlemagne Building on 28^th November 1989; and finally,

1. the Committee of Ambassadors' activities regarding certain internal matters, namely :

- the state of progress in the consideration of the Consultants' report on the structure, functioning and conditions of service of the ACP General Secretariat;

- the question of the extension of contracts of certain members of staff of the Secretariat, and

- the directorship of the CDI and CTA.

11. Regarding this last issue - the directorship of the CTA and CDI - the Chairman informed Council that the Committee of Ambassadors :

1. had taken not of the various applications received for the post of Director of the CDI as well as the information regarding the consultations being undertaken within the Caribbean region on the same issue;
2. had agreed to examine in-depth in Brussels the rules, principles and criteria governing the designation of the Director and Deputy Director of the CDI and CTA and to report to the 50^th Council in March 1990, in Fiji.

the negotiations that both the ACP and EEC would make in this respect joint proposals to the Committee on Industrial Cooperation (CIC) after the negotiations.

13. Council took note of the Committee of Ambassadors' Report.

14. Item 5 : Report of the Presidential Group on the conclusion of the negotiations [ACP/45/031/89 Rev.2]

After a brief introduction by the Secretary General who highlighted notably the section of the document relating to the volume of resources for Lomé IV and its breakdown, Council unanimously and by acclamation adopted the document on the conclusion of the negotiations.

15. Item 6 : Consideration of ACP internal matters

(a) Draft Budget of the ACP Secretariat for 1990

ACP/45/031/89 Rev.2 List of accompanying documents :

- Audit report for 1988 [ACP/45/030/89]

- Statement of the Reserve fund [ACP/45/037/89]

The Secretariat 1990 draft budget was presented to Council by H. E. Mr K.. NSINGO, Ambassador of Zambia and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Establishment and Finance.

16. After drawing Council's attention to the overall reduction of ACP contributions in 1990, the Subcommittee Chairman highlighted some of the main features of the draft budget, notably,

- The forthcoming departure of the Secretary General;

- the resignation of a professional staff member as well as that of a general service staff members;

- the use of the Reserve fund / Financing Agreement to pay for benefits of departing staff as these accrued mostly during the previous years;

- the question of school fees on which the Committee of Ambassadors had agreed to take a decision very soon in the context of the consideration of the Consultants' report on the Secretariat;

- the special ACP Sugar Ministerial Conference to be held in London early 1990;

- the global vote for the Intra-ACP programme under head IX, the details of which are to be reviewed by the Committee of Ambassadors.

17. The Subcommittee Chairman also drew Council's attention to the following documents and issues, all considered by the Subcommittee and the Committee of Ambassadors :

- Audit report for 1988 [Doc. ACP/45/030/89]

- Report on the implementation of the 1988 budget [Doc. ACP/45/036/89]

- Statement on the Reserve Fund [Doc. ACP/45/037/89]

- State of contributions [Doc. ACP/45/045/89]

- Breakdown of contributions for 1990 [Doc. ACP/45/044/89]

- Request by St. Christopher and Nevis for a waiver of budgetary contribution on account of the devastation cause by Hurricane Hugo.

18. The exchange of views by Council dwelt mainly on the following issues :

- the request to increase by 100.000 BF the provision for the Sugar Ministerial Meeting

- the appeal by St. Christopher and Nevis, and

- the case for the review of the categorisation of ACP Member States as regards their contributions to the ACP Secretariat's budget.

19. Finally, after taking note of the Subcommittee Chairman's report and the documents distributed, Council :

1. approved the proposed increase by 100.000 BF of the budgetary provision for the Sugar Ministerial Meeting and directed that page 24 bis of the document on the draft budget [ACP/45/031/89 Rev. 2] be accordingly amended;

1. decided that St Christopher and Nevis be exempted from paying its contribution for the year 1990;

1. mandated the Committee of Ambassadors to examine sympathetically the appeal of Christopher and Nevis for a waiver on its arrears of contributions to the Secretariat and to submit appropriate recommendations to the ACP Council in Fiji in March 1990;

1. recalled its mandate at the 38^th ACP Council in June 1985 to the Committee of Ambassadors to review the existing categorization of the ACP States in the light of the current economic situation and their share of contributions to the budget of the ACP General Secretariat;

1. directed the Committee of Ambassadors to ensure that a

(b) Progress report on the examination of the consultants'

Report on the structure, functioning and contributions of

service of the ACP General Secretariat [ACP/41/035/89]

20. Council took note of the progress report on this issue as submitted by the Chairman of the Committee of Ambassadors and renewed its mandate to the Committee to enable the latter to pursue its discussions with a view to presenting its recommendations to the next ACP Council in Fiji.

Question regarding the renewal of contracts of staff of the ACP Secretariat [ACP/41/057/89]

21. Under this item, Council considered at length the recommendations contained in the above document by the Committee of Ambassadors concerning two members of staff of the Secretariat, Mr N.M.C. DODOO, Legal Counsel and Mr G. HAILE-MARIAM, Expert, who have reached the pension age and should retire at the end of Lomé III, i.e., 28^th February 1990.

22. At the end of the consideration of the Committee's recommendations, Council decided :

1. that Mr N.M.C. DODOO, Legal Counsel and Mr G. HAILE-MARIAM, Expert, shall retire at the end of the 3^rd Lomé Convention, i.e. 28 February 1990;

1. to issue Mr N.M.C. DODDO and Mr G. HAILE-MARIAM each with a temporary contract for a period of 6 months beginning on 1^st March 1990;
2. that the contract shall be renewed only once for the same period of time;
3. that this decision shall not be regarded as a precedent.

Foreign Affairs, on the situation in South and Southern Africa[ACP/27/033/89].

The report was introduced by the Chairman of the Committee of Ambassadors, who, after pointing out some amendments to be made to the report, expressed the Committee's concern about the limited benefits emerging from these meetings.

In spite of these limited benefits, the Chairman added, the Committee noted, however, that following from second joint meeting, some modest progress was made. These included the reaffirmation of the parties to the eradication of apartheid, the commitment to regular annual meetings, the Troika's agreement to comment favourably and to convey to the Council of EEC Foreign Minister the Harare Declaration of 18^th August 1989 of the OAU Ad Hoc Committee on the situation in South and Southern Africa which was endorsed by the ACP Council as an element to be taken into account by the Community in the elaboration of their policy on this issue.

24. In conclusion, the Chairman informed Council of the Committee of Ambassadors' recommendations that the ACP President of Council should convey a letter to

his EEC counterpart expressing the ACP's concern as well as its understanding of the commitments made.

25. Council took note of the report and endorsed the Committee of Ambassadors' recommendations.

26. Item 8 : Composition of the new Bureau of the Council of ACP Ministers

The following four nominations were received for the next Ministerial Bureau which would take up office for 6 months, from 1^st February 1990 :

West Africa : TOGO

Central Africa : CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

East Africa : SOMALIA

Southern Africa : ANGOLA

27. The two regions - the Caribbean and Pacific - were still consulting and were to inform Council or the Secretariat subsequently of the outcome of their consultations.⁽¹⁾

28. Item 9 : Date and venue of the next session of the ACP and ACP-EEC Councils

The President announced the next Ministerial meetings would be held in Fiji on the following dates :

- ACP council : 26 - 27 March 1990

- ACP-EEC Council : 28 - 29 March 1990

29. Item 10 : Consideration of the draft decisions and resolutions of

the 49^th session of the Council of ACP Ministers

Council mandated the Committee of Ambassadors to examine and adopt on its behalf the decisions and resolutions resulting from the 49^th Ministerial Session.

30. Before reversing to item 11 "Any other business", Council heard short statements from the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of Haiti, Mr Yvon PERRIER, and the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Mr Joaquim RICARDO.

31. On behalf of their governments and people, the two Ministers thanked the entire ACP Group for its support and the Togolese authorities and people for their hospitality.

32. Any other business

First, Council paid tribute to its President, Hon. Dr M.M. SEFALI, Minister of Planning of Lesotho, as well as his two predecessors, Ratu Sir KAMISESE MARA, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Fiji, and Hon. Carl GREENIDGE, Minister of Finance of Guyana, for their outstanding contribution, in particular in the framework of the negotiations. Council also thanked the Ministerial and Ambassadorial spokesmen, the Committee of Ambassadors and the Secretariat for their continued support.

33. The President next paid tribute to and thanked, on Council's behalf, Dr. E.W. CARRINGTON, the outgoing ACP Secretary General who was attending for the last time a Ministerial session in this capacity. The President underscored Dr Carrington's professional competence and integrity and found him a hard-working executive.

34. The Secretary-General, speaking next, thanked Council for affording him the opportunity to serve the ACP Group for over 13 years. He drew Council's attention to some areas where more effort needed to be made namely :

- implementation of Lomé IV, in particular now that the Convention has a 10-year duration

- review of the Georgetown Agreement, where he felt some compromise was necessary

- Intra-ACP Cooperation, an area on which many studies exist and in which the business sectors could be involved.

35. In the light of the new world economic developments (1992, USA - Canadian economic zone, Uruguay Round etc..) Dr Carrington suggested to Council to examine the possibility of holding :

- regular annual meetings of Heads of ACP Regional Organizations

- biennial or terminal meetings of ACP political Heads.

36. The Secretary General further appealed to Council and to the Committee of Ambassadors to strengthen the authority and manpower resources of the ACP Secretariat : in order to function well, both the Committee of Ambassadors and Council need the support of an effective Secretariat. The Secretary General wished, in this regard, full success to Dr Ghebray BERHANE, the in-coming Secretary General, in his new assignment.

37. Finally, the Secretary General thanked his own and the Caribbean governments and ENTIRE ACP Group for their support. He expressed his gratitude to the ACP Group for deciding to name one of its meetings rooms at the ACP House in Brussels after him, and concluded by declaring that he could never cease to be an ACP man.

38. Taking the floor after the Secretary General, the President, in bidding farewell to Council, recalled the long road we had travelled since the start of the negotiations and the important role played by each of his predecessors. He on this occasion paid tribute to the Committee of Ambassadors and to the ACP Secretariat without whose assistance, according to him, the presidency would not have achieved its objectives. The signing of Lomé 4, the President emphasized, is the result of the firmness and tenacity of purpose shown by the ACP all along during the negotiations : this constitutes, therefore, an honour for the entire ACP Group.

39. The President, Finally, thanked his region - Southern Africa - for having given him the honour of living this enriching experience at the presidency of the ACP Group.

40. Speaking at the end, the Minister of Commerce of Senegal, H. E. Mr Omar S. SY, paid tribute to the President of Council for his firmness, his calm and his concern for democracy.

41. Turning to Dr Carrington, Minister Sy thanked the outgoing Secretary General for the work accomplished on behalf of the ACP Group and underscored his tremendous professional faculties : for Minister SY, Dr Carrington was the best Secretary General the ACP Group had ever had.

42. To conclude, Minister SY thanked the Caribbean region for having put one of its gifted sons at the service of the ACP Group and for having, with a spirit of fair-play, allowed the ACP Group to reach a consensus during the election of the new Secretary General in October 1989 in Luxembourg.

ANNEX I

STATEMENT BY THE HON. DR M.M. SEFALI, MINISTER OF PLANNING OF THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO AND PRESIDENT OF ACP COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AT OPENING OF ACP COUNCIL MEETING ON 14^TH NOVEMBER 1989 LOME TOGO.

HONOURABLE MINISTERS

MR CHAIRMAN AND YOUR EXCELLENCIES AMBASSADORS

MR. SECRETARY GENERAL OF ACP

DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

WELCOME TO LOME THE CAPITAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF TOGO -

THE PLACE AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LOME ARRANGEMENT OF ACP-EEC COOPERATION. I EXTEND THIS WELCOME TO ALL DELEGATIONS AND OBSERVERS BUT PARTICULARLY TO OUR NEW MEMBERS HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

SOME SIX WEEKS AGO WE PARTED IN LUXEMBOURG WITHOUT HAVING CONCLUDED THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE FOURTH LOME CONVENTION AS WE HAD HOPED. ON THAT OCCASION THE COUNCIL MANDATED THE ACP PRESIDENTIAL GROUP UNDER MY CHAIRMANSHIP TO PROCEED IN ITS NAME TO UNDERTAKE THE FINAL STAGES OF THE NEGOTIATIONS AND ON SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED THIS TO CONCLUDE THE NEGOTIATIONS.

HONOURABLE MINISTERS, THE PRESIDENTIAL GROUP HAS DONE EXACTLY THAT.

WITH THE HELP OF THE COMMITTEE OF AMBASSADORS, OUR AMBASSADORIAL SPOKESMEN AND OUR SECRETARIAT WE MET IN BRUSSELS AMONG OURSELVES IN PREPARATORY SESSION ON THE 23^RD AND 24^TH NOVEMBER AND WITH OUR EEC COUNTERPARTS ON SATURDAY 25^TH, SUNDAY 26^TH AS SCHEDULED AND MONDAY 27^TH BEYOND SCHEDULE, A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL GROUP IS BEFORE YOUR IN DOCUMENT ACP/00/522/89 FOR YOUR INFORMATION.

AT THE POINT IN TIME I SHALL ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE MAIN ISSUES CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT.

I AM HAPPY TO EMPHASIZE THE FULL SUPPORT WHICH THE GROUP RECEIVED FROM ALL ITS MEMBERS AND PARTICULARLY FROM OUR MINISTERIAL SPOKESMAN.

AS YOU WOULD NO DOUBT RECALL, AT THE TIME OF OUR DEPARTURE FROM LUXEMBOURG A NUMBER OF CRITICAL ISSUES REMAINED TO BE RESOLVED IN ALL THE MINISTERIAL NEGOTIATING GROUPS. THE GROUP 'A' MINISTERIAL SPOKESMAN FACED MANY DIFFICULTIES IN THE CASE OF STABEX AND SYSMIN. THE GROUP 'B' MINISTERIAL SPOKESMAN ENCOUNTERED IN VIRTUALLY ALL ASPECTS OF THE TRADE REGIME AND OF COURSE THE GROUP 'C' MINISTERIAL SPOKESMAN FACED A NUMBER OF ISSUES RELATING TO OUR COOPERATION WITH THE EEC IN THE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT AND INDEBTEDNESS AREAS. THE GROUP ALSO FACED THE DECISIVE QUESTIONS OF THE OVERALL VOLUME OF RESOURCES AND ITS STRUCTURE. CERTAIN OTHER QUESTIONS SOMEWHAT UNEXPECTEDLY EMERGED AS ISSUES BEING ALL EFFORTS AT SOLUTION. THESE INCLUDE THE PROBLEMS OF THE TREATMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE AND SHIPPING. I AM SATISFIED THAT THE POSITIONS ULTIMATELY ARRIVED AT ON SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS IN GREAT MEASURE SUCCEEDED IN PRESERVING THE ACP'S INTERESTS. THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO SO IS DUE TO CONTRIBUTION OF OUR AMBASSADORIAL SPOKESMAN, OUR COMMITTEE OF AMBASSADORS AND OUR SECRETARIAT IN BRUSSELS WHO CONTINUED AFTER LUXEMBOURG TO REFINE, AMEND, ADJUST AND MODIFY MOST OF THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR COMMISSION COUNTERPARTS. THEY DESERVE OUR DEEPEST THANKS FOR SOCIABLY PREPARING THE GROUP WORK FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL GROUP'S SUBSEQUENT PROGRESS.

ON ONE PARTICULAR QUESTION HOWEVER THAT OF THE VOLUME OF RESOURCES,

THE PRESIDENTIAL GROUP HAD BY THE VERY NATURE OF THIS QUESTION TO DO ALL THE RUNNING ITSELF. I AM GLAD TO SEE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AS REGARDS THIS DECISIVE QUESTION SO WELL SET OUT IN THE REPORT BEFORE YOU.

THE FINAL OFFER OF 10.8 BILLION ECUs FOR THE EDF AND 1.2 BILLION ECUs OF EIB LOANS REPRESENTS A 45.9% INCREASE OVER LOME III TOTAL FINANCIAL RESOURCES. WHILE THIS INCREASE IS OVER THAN THE 51% INCREASE OF LOME II OVER LOME AND 64% INCREASE OF LOME III OVER LOME II IT SHOULD BE APPRECIATED THAT WHEN THE LOWER RATE OF INFLATION WHICH OBTAINED DURING THE LOME III PERIOD THAT IS 20 % AS AGAINST SOME 50% IN THE LOME II PERIOD IS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, THE REAL INCREASE FOR LOME IV. AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR INFLATION, COMPARES A FAVOURABLY WITH EARLIER INCREASE.

I MUST POINT OUT THAT THE VOLUME OF RESOURCES PROVIDED IS INTENDED TO CATER ALSO FOR THE THREE NEW ENTRANTS TO THE ACP GROUP - HAITI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND SOON NAMIBIA.

A PART FROM THE VOLUME OF RESOURCES, THE TERMS AND THE BREAKDOWN FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES ARE ALSO VERY CRUCIAL.

UNLIKE LOME III THE ONLY NON GRANT ELEMENT OF THE VOLUME OF RESOURCES UNDER LOME IV IS THE EIB LOANS AND THE RISK CAPITAL. WITH STABEX, SYSMIN AND THE NEW PROVISION FOR STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT ALL BEING GRANTS, THE LOME IV EDF PACKAGE REPRESENTS A 92.4% GRANT ELEMENT. IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE RESOURCES WE HAVE ALSO SECURED A 50% INCREASE IN THE RESOURCES FOR THE CEDI AND MORE MODEST INCREASES FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION AND FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE.

HONOURABLE MINISTERS IF I WERE TO MAKE AN OVERALL PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN LOME IV I COULD SAY THE FOLLOWING :

FIRSTLY, WE NOW HAVE A CONVENTION OF A TEN YEAR DURATION WITH ARRANGEMENTS FOR RENEGOTIATION OF THE FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL PACKAGE OF 12 BILLION ECUs, AND ANY OTHER SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE EXPERIENCE SHOWS THE CONVENTION TO BE IN NEED OF STRENGTHENING. THE DURATION SHOULD ALLOW US ADEQUATE TIME FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND PROVIDE A BASIS FOR INFORMED ADJUSTMENT.

SECONDLY, WE HAVE ENLARGED OUR ACP GROUP TO INCLUDE TWO NEW COUNTRIES - HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND I REPEAT OUR HEARTY WELCOME TO OUR NEW BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN OUR MIDSTS FROM THOSE TWO COUNTRIES. WE ALSO REVIEW OUR INVITATION TO NAMIBIA AND ANXIOUSLY AWAIT HER PARTICIPATION IN THE LOME ACP-EEC ARRANGEMENT OF CO-OPERATION.

THIRDLY, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE SCOPE AND QUALITY OF OUR COOPERATION WITH THE EEC AS REGARDS COVERAGE, COMMITMENT, PARTICIPATION AND HUMAN VALUES.

FOURTHLY, WE HAVE STRENGTHENED THE MECHANISMS FOR INCREASING COMPETITIVE PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY PRODUCTION AND FOR IMPROVING THE TRADE PERFORMANCE OF ACP STATES.

FIFTHLY, WE HAVE THROUGH STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT SUPPORT MADE SPECIFIC PROVISIONS FOR ASSUAGING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF STRUCTURE ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMMES ON THE VULNERABLE GROUPS OF OUR POPULATIONS.

SIXTHLY, WE HAVE RECOGNISED AND SOUGHT TO CATER FOR THE PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.

SEVENTHLY, WE HAVE REINFORCED THE CENTRAL PLACE OF MAN IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS THROUGH STRENGTHENING THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PRIORITIES AND MECHANISMS FOR THEIR PURSUIT.

FINALLY, WE HAVE REINFORCED THE IMPORTANCE OF REGIONAL COOPERATION AMONG OURSELVES THROUGH PROVISION FOR GREATER SUPPORT BY OUR ACP/EEC COOPERATION INSTRUMENTS AND RESOURCES TO THAT END, AND BY OUR UNDERTAKING TO ESTABLISH MORE EFFECTIVE INTRA-ACP COOPERATION INSTRUMENTS AMONG OURSELVES.

IF AS WE HOPE ALL OF THESE CAN BE SUBSTANTIVELY REINFORCED BY THE NEW PROVISIONS ON DEBT, INCLUDING OUR CONTINUING HOPE AS REGARDS RELIEF FROM OUR DEBT TO THE COMMUNITY, THEN WE WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN LOME 4.

DEAR COLLEAGUES, HAVING SAID THIS MUCH, NOTHING CAN CONCEAL THE INADEQUATE PROGRESS WHICH WE HAVE ACHIEVED IN AREAS SUCH AS COOPERATION IN COMMODITIES AND THE LOCAL PROCESSING OF OUR RAW MATERIAL.

BUT MY ASSESSMENT, AND I HOPE IT IS ONE YOU WOULD COME TO SHARE, IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE, DESPITE ALL THE MANY DIFFICULTIES INCLUDING THOSE EXPERIENCE IN ARRIVING AT AGREEMENT ON THE VERY DATE FOR SIGNING, TO WIN ENOUGH CONCESSIONS TO FASHION A CONVENTION RELEVANT AND STRONG ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT BASIS OF SUPPORT FOR OUR NATIONAL AND REGIONAL COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

HONOURABLE MINISTERS THE TEST WOULD COME IN A LEAST TWO DIMENSIONS. FIRST HOW EFFECTIVE WE ARE INDIVIDUALLY AND AS AN ACP/EEC GROUP IN IMPLEMENTING AND EXPLOITING THE PROVISIONS OF THE CONVENTION; AND SECONDLY HOW RESPONSIVE THE CONVENTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION ARE TO THE CONSTANT CHANGING WORLD ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THIS ARRANGEMENT IS GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED. SO FAR WE HAVE FORESEEN AND SPOKEN FREQUENTLY ABOUT THE SINGLE EUROPEAN MARKET OF 1992.
 

THE FUSION AND FORMATION OF ONE ECONOMIC SPACE IN NORTH AMERICA, THE COORDINATION AND HARMONISATION OF POSITIONS BEING DEVELOPED IN THE ASIAN PACIFIC AREA AROUND JAPAN. FEW IF ANY OF US COULD HAVE FORESEEN AND MORE SO JUDGED THE SPEED OF CHANGE IN EASTERN EUROPE AND ITS IMPLEMENTATIONS FOR THE EEC AND FOR US. AND YET THIS IS THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE ARE GOING TO IMPLEMENT OUR CONVENTION. WE MUST THEREFORE BE GEARED TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION IF LOME IV IS TO BE IN SUBSTANCE THE GOOD CONVENTION IT IS IN FORM.

COLLEAGUES, IN THE NAME OF THE PRESIDENTIAL GROUP I THEREFORE COMMEND THE FINAL PRODUCT - THE DRAFT LOME IV CONVENTION - FOR COLLECTIVE ENDORSEMENT.

APART FROM THE FINALIZATION OF THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE CONVENTION I MUST ALSO INFORM YOU THAT ON THE 28^TH NOVEMBER 1989, THE MEETING OF ACP FOREIGN MINISTERS AND THE EEC TROIKA - THAT IS, THE CURRENT, PAST AND SUCCEEDING PRESIDENTS - TOOK PLACE IN BRUSSELS, MINISTER PELLETIER OF FRANCE CHAIRED FOR THE EEC AND YOUR ACP PRESIDENT FOR THE ACP. A REPORT OF THE MEETING IS ON THE AGENDA SO I WOULD NOT TAKE ANY TIME NOW ON THIS MATTER.

A PART FROM THESE MATTERS OUR AGENDA TODAY INCLUDES OUT IMPORTANT QUESTION - THE BUDGET OF THE SECRETARIAT FOR 1990. I NOTE THE WELCOME REDUCTION IN THE BUDGET AND HOPE THAT THIS MAY SPEED UP ITS PASSAGE.

COLLEAGUES, OUR TIME IS SHORT, OUR TASKS MANY AND WEIGHTY. CAN I THEREFORE APPEAL TO YOU FOR PRECISE AND CONCISE INTERVENTIONS.

THE SIGNING OF LOME IV BECKONS US TOMORROW - LET US BY TODAY'S ACTION GEAR OURSELVES FOR THAT HISTORIC TASK.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

ANNEX I

ACP/25/028/89 Rev.2 Lome, 14^th December 1989/bae
 
 

N O T E

Subject : Preliminary draft agenda for the 49th Session of the Council of ACP Ministers to be held on Thursday 14^th December 1989, at 3 p.m. at the "Maison du RPT" in Lomé - Togo.

____________________________________________________________________

1. Adoption of the agenda.

2. Communication from the President.

3. Appointment of a Rapporteur.

4. Consideration of the Activity Report of the Committee of Ambassadors since the 48^th Session of Council held in Brussels in October 1989 (ACP/26/135/89) Rev.1).

5. Report of the Presidential Group on the conclusion of the Negotiations (ACP/00/522/89).

6. Consideration of ACP internal matters

Draft budget of the ACP Secretariat for 1990 (ACP/45/031/89 Rev.2).

List of accompanying documents (budget)

- Audit report for 1988 (ACP/45/030/89)

- Statement on the Reserve Fund (ACP/45/037/89).

Progress report on the examination of the Consultant's report on the structure, functioning and conditions of service of the ACP Secretariat (Ref. Doc. : ACP/41/035/89 - already distributed).

Question regarding the renewal of contracts of staff of the ACP Secretariat (ACP/41/057/89).

7. Report on the 2^nd ACP/EEC meeting, at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, on the situation in South and Southern Africa (ACP/27/033/89).

8. Composition of the new Bureau of the Council of Ministers (Ref. Doc. ACP/549/89 Rev. 17).

9. Date and venue of the next session of

1. ACP Council
2. ACP/EEC Council.

11. Any other business.

1. Subsequently, the Secretariat has been informed of the nominations of the two following representatives :

- Caribbean : SURINAME

- Pacific : SOLOMON ISLANDS