Leaders from 53 African countries and 27 European Union nations
opened a "summit of equals" in the Portuguese capital city of
Lisbon on Saturday, to outline future cooperation and relations
between the two continents.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is not attending the meeting
as he refuses to sit with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Britain is represented by Baroness Amos, the former International
Development Secretary.
European Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso (C) Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates (R) and
Ghana's President John Kufuor share a laugh on the begining of the
EU-Africa summit in Lisbon, Dec. 7, 2007. European and African
leaders will seek to forge a fresh partnership to tackle issues
like trade, immigration and peacekeeping this week when they hold
their first summit in seven years.
The EU's aim at the Lisbon summit is high. It hopes to redefine
EU-Africa relations by launching a "strategic partnership" that
moves away from a traditional donor-beneficiary relationship.
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said in an opening
speech that the summit must be a summit of equals.
"We are equal in our human dignity, which transcends any other
difference. There are no minor cultures; there are no superior
civilizations. We are also equal in terms of our political
responsibilities," he said.
Socrates put human rights and migration at the center of a joint
strategy prepared for approval at the summit.
Ghanaian President John Kufuor, whose country holds the African
Union's presidency, said, however, that it is necessary to correct
historical injustice and inhumanity in relations between the two
continents.
"For almost 500 years, the relationship between the two
continents has not been a happy one," he said at the opening of the
summit.
Kufuor asked for commitments to sustained economic, cultural and
humanitarian cooperation and the recognition of Africa's right to
integrate into the world economy in terms of trade, investment and
capacity building.
Apart from differences over priorities, the two continents also
need to sort out their trade relationship.
The traditional preferential treatments granted by the EU to
African, the Caribbean and Pacific nations must be replaced by
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) by the end of this year as
the former have been declared illegal by the World Trade
Organization.
Up to now, however, only 12 African countries have concluded
EPAs with the EU. Many African countries fear that the new rules,
based on market opening, would lead to a flood of European
products.
Other topics on the agenda of the summit are peace and security,
climate change and energy.
The leaders are expected to endorse an action plan for the next
three years coupled with concrete implementation mechanisms.
A third EU-Africa summit is expected at the end of 2009 in
Africa.
(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2007)
