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Issue 00472 |
June 9 - 15, 2007 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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EAC |
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EAC summit scheduled for Kamapala June 18 The Fifth Extra-Ordinary Summit of the East African Community will be held in Kampala on 18 June 2007. The three EAC Heads of State , President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, and President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, will attend the Summit Meeting. Among the foreign dignitaries expected in Kampala for the EAC event are President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as well as chief executives of several regional and international organizations who have been invited. According to a statement by the EAC Secretariat, during the 5th Extra-Ordinary Summit, the EAC Heads of State will receive a Progress Report of the Council of Ministers of the East African Community on the activities of the EAC undertaken during the period 30th November 2006 and 17th June 2007. The Report of the Council highlights the issues on the Agenda of the Summit, namely, Treaties of Accession for Admission of the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda into the East African Community; a review of the Terms and conditions of service for Members of the East African Legislative Assembly and Judges of the East African Court of Justice; Establishment of the Appellate Division of the East African Court of Justice; and Ex Gratia Payments to the retired Judges of the East African Court of Justice; Other issues are with regard to the appointment of a new Deputy Secretary General; the Constitution of the Second East African Legislative Assembly; Progress Progress Report of the National Consultations on fast tracking the process towards the establishment of a Political Federation; and consideration of Anthem proposals and adoption of an EAC Anthem. The preparatory meetings for the 5th Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State will be held at the Africana Hotel, Kampala on 12 -15 June 2005, starting with the Meeting of Senior Officials of the Co-ordination Committee, from 12 - 13 June. This will be followed by the Meeting of the Co-ordination Committee (Permanent Secretaries) on 14 June; and the 15th Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on 15 June 2007. The 15th Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the East African Community will be attended by Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs of the Republic of Uganda and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the East African Community; Dr Ibrahim Msabaha, Minister of East African Co-operation of the United Republic of Tanzania; and H John Arap Koech, Minister of East African Community of the Republic of Kenya. Admission of Burundi and Rwanda At their 8th Summit held on 30th November, 2006 the East African Community Heads of State noted the successful conclusion of the negotiations with Rwanda and Burundi to join the Community. The Summit noted the recommendation of the Council for the admission of the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda into the East African Community. The Summit decided to admit the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda as full Members of the East African Community; decided further that the admission of the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda shall be effective from 1st July, 2007 after the conclusion of Treaties of Accession; and directed the EAC Secretariat to work out with Rwanda and Burundi the smooth operationalization of membership accession. The East African Community and each of the Republics of Burundi and Rwanda have, at Ministerial levels, negotiated the Treaties of Accession. The EAC Heads of State are expected to consider the Treaties of Accession and sign them with each of the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda during this Extra-Ordinary Summit. Terms and Conditions of Service At its 11th Meeting held on 4th April 2006 and at its 13th Extraordinary Meeting held on 18th April, 2007 the EAC Council of Ministers considered revisions in the terms and conditions of service of Members of the East African Legislative Assembly and Judges of the East African Court of Justice. The Council of Ministers are proposing revisions in the terms and conditions of service which, pursuant to the provisions of the EAC Treaty, the Council will submit to the Extra-Ordinary Summit for consideration and approval. Also, the Extra-Ordinary Summit will consider the Council?s recommendation of Ex-Gratia Payments to retired Judges of the East African Court of Justice. Appointment of a new Deputy Secretary General Following the expiry of the term of Dr Kipyego Cheluget, the Council was required to recommend to the Summit the name of a person nominated by a Partner State (Kenya) for appointment as Deputy Secretary General. At its 14th Extraordinary Meeting held on 4th May, 2007, the Council, having examined the Curriculum Vitae of the person nominated by the Republic of Kenya to this post, recommended the Kenyan nominee for appointment as Deputy Secretary General to replace Dr. Cheluget. Constitution of the Second East African Legislative Assembly At its Meeting held on 3rd May, 2007, the Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs failed to reach consensus on the interpretation of the judgment of the East African Court of Justice regarding the persons whose names had been submitted to the Secretary General as Kenya?s Members Elect to the East African Legislative Assembly. Kenya has since conducted fresh electoral exercise; and the elected Members of Kenya to the Second EALA were sworn in on 5 June 2007 along with their counterparts of Uganda and Tanzania; and the Second EALA has been constituted. East African Community Customs Union progress The East African Customs Union, launched in 2005, the Customs Union has made positive impact on increased intra-EAC trade and growth of revenue which is being felt and shared in all the Partner States. All the EAC countries report increased revenues since the operations of the EAC Customs Union were launched. These developments have given confidence as the Partner States proceed to the next stage of the East African integration process, namely the establishment of the Common Market. A consultants Study, commissioned towards the end of last year on the establishment of the Common Market, has been presented in the first draft form. The draft is being subjected to discussions and inputs by the broad spectrum of EAC stakeholders - government, private sector and Civil Society - before the final draft is tabled by July 2007 as a negotiating document for the EAC Common Market planned to be established by 2010. Progress of the National consultations on fast tracking The national consultative process on the East African Federation which was launched in October 2006 has proceeded well, yielding robust debate and discourse on deepening regional integration in East Africa. A mid-term review of the consultative process, held in April 2007, made several recommendations, among them, that more time is needed to complete the exercise; the need to intensify sensitization of the people on the East African Community and the implications of moving into a Political Federation, in particular, to address the issues of equitable sharing of the costs and benefits under the Federation. Arising from this, the Council of Ministers at the 13th Extraordinary Meeting on 18 April 2007 decided to extend the period of the national consultations to 30 June 2007.
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