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December 8, 2007

Africa and Europe Summit Opens in Lisbon
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1A83737:A6F02AD83191E1609C76D47E11CFCE1E2A201403E89ED254& Leaders call for
new relationship between their continents





European and African leaders pose for a family photo of a EU- Africa
summit in Lisbon, 08 Dec 2007European and African leaders have opened
their first summit in seven years in Lisbon, with calls to forge a new
relationship between the continents.

Portuguese Prime Minster Jose Socrates opened the summit Saturday
saying history has called on the assembled leaders to write a new page
in the relationship between Europe and Africa. Portugal currently
holds the EU rotating presidency.

Ghana's president, John Kufuor, echoed Mr. Socrates sentiment. He said
the relationship between the continents has not been happy for 500
years and the summit must lay the foundation for a new partnership
based on mutual respect.

President Kufuor is the current chair of the African Union.

The summit in the Portuguese capital is designed to boost cooperation
between the two continents in several areas including trade, peace and
security, economic development, environmental degradation, governance,
security and migration.

Pre-summit discussion centered on the attendance of Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is
boycotting the summit to shun Mr. Mugabe, whom Mr. Brown accuses of
oppression.

Portuguese officials have promised the meeting will not shy away from
points of friction and human-rights issues.

Trade discussions in Lisbon will focus on the World Trade
Organization's recent move to strike down long-standing arrangements
that exempted developing African nations from many European import
tariffs.

The WTO has declared such agreements between Europe and Africa
illegal, and said they must expire at the end of the year.

Under an interim trade accord with the EU that Ivory Coast signed on
Friday, the West African nation must gradually open its markets to
European goods. The West African economic bloc ECOWAS opposes the
pact, and critics say such accords will flood African markets with
cheaper goods.




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