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			SUMMARY RECORDOF THE 66th SESSIONOF  THE ACP COUNCIL OF MINISTERSHELD ON 3 AND 4 NOVEMBER 1997  IN LIBREVILLE (GABON)  (As approved by the 67th session of the ACP Council of Ministers held from 4 to 6 May 1998 in Bridgetown (BARBADOS) ACP/25/017/97 Rev.2 [Final] Libreville, 3 November 1997AMS/sac Or: English

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

OPENING CEREMONY Page 1

COUNCIL'S PROCEEDINGS Page 1

Adoption of the agenda Page 1

Communication from the President Page 1

Appointment of a Rapporteur and Friends of the Rapporteur Page 1

Approval of the Rapporteur's Report of the 65th session of the ACP Council

held in Brussels from 21 to 23 April 1997 Page 2

Consideration of the Committee of Ambassadors' General Activity Report to the 66th Session Page 2

Internal matters page 3

ACP-EU Cooperation page 4

Intra-ACP, regional, cultural and social cooperation page 4

Institutional matters page 5

Consideration of Ministerial Committees' reports on Page 5

Consideration and adoption of the Secretariat's draft budget for the 1998

financial year as well as approval of the accompanying documents Page 6

Preparation of the Special meeting of the ACP Council of Ministers of Foreign

Affairs and Ministers in charge of ACP-EU relations Page 7

Appointment of members of the new Ministerial Bureau Page 8

Outcome of the 66th ACP Council session : adoption of decisions and resolutions Page 9

Date and Venue of Page 10

Any other business Page 11

The opening ceremony of the 66th session of the ACP Council of Ministers was presided over by its President-in-Office, Hon. Dr Nathan SHAMUYARIRA, Minister of Trade and Industry of Zimbabwe.

The text of the President's opening statement is attached as annex I.

COUNCIL'S PROCEEDINGS

1.Adoption of the agenda [ACP/25/009/97 Rev.4]

Council considered and adopted the draft agenda as presented in document ACP/25/009/97 Rev.4.

2.Communication from the President.

The President announced that the Bureau had considered the draft agendas of the 66th and the first Summit at a meeting held earlier that morning.

3.Appointment of a Rapporteur and Friends of the Rapporteur

In accordance with the rules guiding the choice of a Rapporteur when a Council session is held in an ACP country, the host country Gabon was appointed Rapporteur to the 66th session of the ACP Council of Ministers.

The countries listed below were designated by their respective regions to be Friends of the Rapporteur :

East Africa :Mauritius

Southern Africa :Lesotho

West Africa :Cape Verde

Caribbean :Barbados

Pacific :Papua New Guinea

4.Approval of the Rapporteur's Report of the 65th session of the ACP Council held in Brussels from 21 to 23 April 1997 [ACP/25/011/97 Rev.1]

Following a presentation of the draft summary record of the 65th session of the ACP Council meeting held in Brussels from 21 to 23 April 1997 by H.E. Mr. I.Z. CHABALA, Ambassador of Zambia, Rapporteur of that session, Council adopted the draft with the following amendments :

Page 23 (v) : Mr "Ruggiero" reads Mr "RECUPERO"

Page 23 (v) : text to be provided by Mauritius or South Africa

Page 24 (vii) : The title "OCT Sugar Exports to the EU" reads "Transport costs".

5.Consideration of the Committee of Ambassadors' General Activity Report to the 66th Session [ACP/25/087/97 Rev.2]

In accordance with Article 13 of the Georgetown Agreement, the Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ambassadors, H.E. Mr OLO MBA ANDEME, Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea, presented the Committee's activity report, highlighting the main matters considered and action taken by the Ambassadors during the six months preceding the 66th session. He also mentioned the outstanding issues some of which required further guidance from Council.

He drew attention to a report prepared by the ACP Secretary General which had been noted by the Committee of Ambassadors at its meeting in Libreville on 1st November 1997. The Committee would consider that report at a subsequent meeting and would report its findings to the next session of Council.

Having heard the presentation by the Chairman of the Committee of Ambassadors, Council held an exchange of views on a number of matters indicated below :

PART 1 :INTERNAL MATTERS

i)Financial situation of the Secretariat

Council expressed concern at the unsatisfactory state of contributions to the Secretariat's budget and appealed to countries in arrears to pay their contribution so as to be in good standing.

In response to the appeal, the Heads of delegation of the countries listed below indicated that their countries had either paid all their arrears or had made part payment :

Madagascar

Sao Tome and Principe

Sudan

Cameroon

South Africa

Council commended the countries that had paid fully and/or paid an advance on their 1998 assessment.

ii)Review of the categorization of ACP Member States as regards their contribution to the ACP Secretariat's budget

Council, having taken note of the fact that the Committee of Ambassadors had not completed the consideration of this subject, granted a further extension of its mandate to the Committee to complete the exercise and submit its recommendations as soon as possible.

iii)Establishment of a Portuguese Language section in the ACP General Secretariat

Council's attention was drawn to the fact that this matter had been outstanding for a long time and it was proposed that new directives with a deadline for the finalisation and implementation be fixed.

PART II :ACP-EU COOPERATION

Trade Cooperation

Rice

Council expressed concern about a proposal currently under consideration by the EU Council to impose quantitative restrictions on OCT rice. It also voiced concern about the safeguard measures instituted by the EU against exports of OCT rice to its markets.

In view of that, Council urged the EU to ensure that ACP trade with the EU is not adversely affected by the measures. It also urged that the provisions of the revised Annex XL be implemented without further delay.

ACP presence in WTO

Council mentioned the need for the ACP group to have a formal institutional presence in Geneva and it requested the Committee of Ambassadors to make proposals for consideration and adoption by a subsequent Council session. Such a presence should be designed to enable the ACP Group to influence the WTO's decision-making process.

PART III :INTRA-ACP, REGIONAL, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL COOPERATION

i)The Charles Katungi Training Project

Council sought and obtained from the Secretariat some information on the discussions between the Commission and the Secretariat concerning the project.

Council recognized the importance of the project to the ACP Group and requested the parties involved in the discussion on the project to finalise expeditiously those discussions for an immediate implementation of the project. To facilitate those discussions Council directed that the Secretariat should have a coherent position concerning the project. Finally, Council advised that the ACP reflect on finding alternate means of funding the project, including exploring the possibility of setting up an ACP Fund in the context of Intra-ACP cooperation.

PART IV :INSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

i)State of Ratification

Having received an update on the state of ratification of the agreement amending the 4th ACP-EC Lomé Convention - 55 ACP countries and 8 EU Member States had ratified - Council urged the ACP countries which had not yet ratified, to expedite the ratification process. Ratification by all ACP countries would enable the Group to bring pressure to bear on the EU Member States that had not yet ratified.

In addition to the use of the good offices of the EU Member States that had already ratified, Council also proposed that a small ACP Ministerial delegation, comprising members of the in-coming Bureau undertake lobbying missions in EU capitals to press for a speeding up of ratification by errant EU States.

6.Consideration of Ministerial Committees' reports on :

a.Bananas

The Spokesman on the Ministerial Consultations on Bananas, Hon. N.M. CHARLES, Minister of Trade and Marketing of the Commonwealth of Dominica, presented the report on the outcome of the Ministerial consultations.

b.Sugar

The Spokesman on the Ministerial Consultations on Sugar, Hon. A. BOOLELL, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Mauritius, presented the report on the outcome of the Ministerial consultations.

Council took note of the reports and adopted the resolutions tabled on the basis of these reports.

7.Consideration and adoption of the Secretariat's draft budget for the 1998 financial year [ACP/45/030/97 Rev.4] as well as approval of the accompanying documents:

Introducing the item, the Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ambassadors indicated that the draft 1998 budget of the General Secretariat of the ACP, as contained in doc. ACP/45/030/97 Rev.1, had been the subject of an examination by the Subcommittee on Establishment and Finance and the Committee of Ambassadors. Though the overall budget had increased by 3.83 %, the contribution from individual states had been reduced by 1.1%. The proposed budget for 1998 comprised recurrent expenditure such as, new recruitment, organisation of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers in Barbados, the Special Ministerial session on Sugar, the Joint Assembly meetings as well as other expenses of a general administrative nature. However, it did not include expenditure that would become necessary as a result of mandates from the Summit. Appropriate funding for such mandates would need to be determined subsequently.

These introductory remarks were complemented by a detailed presentation of the budget proposals by H.E. Ambassador A.A. KARUME of Tanzania, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Establishment and Finance.

Council considered and adopted the budget as follows :

a.Contributions from ACP States :135 424 000 BF

b.EDF contributions :127 976 000 BF

c.Tax revenue : 24 471 000 BF

d.Reserve Fund :_

e.Hiring out ACP Hall : 120 000 BF

--------------------

Total 287 991 000 BF

Council took note of the accompanying documents and made proposals for the improvement of the presentation of the budget.

Implementation of Council's decision on the Introduction of Portuguese as a working language

Council further authorized the Secretary General to use savings made in the year to implement gradually the decision on the introduction of the Portuguese as a working language.

8.Preparation of the Special meeting of the ACP Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers in charge of ACP-EU relations

a)Draft programmes and agendas [for noting]

-draft agenda [ACP/28/015/97 Rev.3]

-draft programme for the Summit [ACP/28/018/97 Rev.7]

-draft agenda for the Summit [ACP/28/019/97 Rev.5]

Following the introductory remarks by the Secretary General, Council held an exchange of views at the close of which it decided to reinstate the item on statements by ACP regional spokesmen on the draft agenda for the special session of the ACP Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers in charge of ACP-EU Relations.

It was decided that the reports on the outcome of all African, Caribbean and Pacific consultations on the Future of ACP-EU Relations should be made available to all delegations for information.

b)Draft Declaration [ACP/28/051/97 Rev.8]

Following the introduction of the item by H.E. Mr Youssouf OUEDRAOGO, Ambassador of Burkina Faso and Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Preparation of the ACP Summit, Council took note of the document and agreed to consider it at the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers in charge of ACP matters.

c)Report on Future ACP-EU Relations [ACP/28/058/97 Rev.3]

Introducing the subject, H.E. Mr L.L. CUMBERBATCH, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Future of ACP-EU Relations related the preparatory process of the ACP positions which included broad consultations in Europe and the ACP regions. He then proceeded to make a detailed presentation of the report being submitted indicating, inter alia, that it was an executive summary of a report on the future of ACP-EU relations.

Council took note of the report and agreed to revert to the subject in detail at the Special meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers in charge of ACP matters.

9.Appointment of members of the new Ministerial Bureau [ACP/549/79 Rev.31]

The countries listed below were designated by their respective regions to serve on the new Ministerial Bureau :

Central Africa :GABONPresident of Council

East Africa :TANZANIAMember

Southern Africa :LESOTHOMember

West Africa :GUINEA BISSAUMember

Caribbean :JAMAICA Member

Pacific :SOLOMON ISLANDSMember

Council congratulated the new Bureau members and assured them of its support during their mandate.

Taking the floor, the President elect, Hon. Jean PING, Minister of Planning of Gabon thanked on behalf of his Government and on his own behalf, Council and particularly the region of Central Africa, for the honour bestowed on him and through him, his country, in selecting him to fill the post of President of ACP Council of Ministers.

He commended the outgoing Council Bureau for the excellent job it had accomplished during its tenure of office.

Finally, he indicated that he would spare no effort to justify the confidence placed in him and to that end he would require the support of Council and the Secretariat to successfully fulfill his mandate.

10.Outcome of the 66th ACP Council session : adoption of decisions and resolutions

Council considered and adopted the following decisions and resolutions :

A:Decisions

Decision No.1/LXVI/97 : The ACP General Secretariat's 1998 budget

Decision No.2/LXVI/97 :Appointment of external auditors

Decision No.3/LXVI/97 :External auditor's report for 1997

Decision No.4/LXVI/97 :Coordination of ACP Group within the WTO and other international fora

B:Resolutions

Resolution No.1/LXVI/97 :Sugar

Resolution No.2/LXVI/97 :Rice

Resolution No.3/LXVI/97 :Bananas

Resolution No.4/LXVI/97 :Ratification of the Agreement amending the Fourth ACP-EC Lomé Convention

Resolution No.5/LXVI/97 :Charles Katungi Project

11.Date and Venue of :

a.67th session of ACP Council of Ministers

The 67th session of the ACP Council of Ministers would take place in Bridgetown, Barbados from 4 to 6 May 1998.

b.23rd ACP-EU session

The 23rd ACP-EU session of Council would take place in Bridgetown, Barbados, on 7 and 8 May 1998.

Taking the floor, the Hon. Ms Billie MILLER, Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados said the Government of Barbados would be very pleased to receive Council next year. The people of the Caribbean region were conscious of the importance of the Council session coming after a major regional meeting and before the launching of the negotiations between the ACP group and the EU for a successor agreement to the Lomé IV Convention.

She gave assurances that delegates to the Ministerial meetings would be welcome in the true tradition of Barbadian hospitality.

12.Any other business

Under this item, H.E. Mr K. NTAMBI, Ambassador of Uganda informed Council that ACP NGOs had met in Entebbe (Uganda) from 28 to 30 October 1997 to discuss Future ACP-EU Relations. That meeting had requested the Minister from Uganda to make available its conclusions to the Ministerial meetings taking place in Libreville.

The Ambassador requested that the Secretariat be allowed to circulate the document for information.

Council accepted the proposal.

Concluding the proceedings representatives from all the regions paid tribute to the outgoing Bureau for the good work it had accomplished and in particular the President of Council for the excellent leadership he had provided for the past 6 months.

Council also expressed gratitude to the host country, Gabon, for the warm welcome extended to delegates and for providing adequate facilities for the meetings. This was a demonstration of the country's commitment to the ACP cause and Council expressed the hope that the President elect would sustain that commitment during his tenure of office.
 

IAddress by the President of the ACP Council to the 66^th session of the ACP Council of Ministers

II    Decisions and resolutions of the 66^th session of the ACP Council of Ministers.