DECISION ON THE FOLLOW-UP ON THE AFRICA-EUROPE
SUMMIT AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE CAIRO PLAN OF ACTION
Council:
TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Secretary General on the Follow up on the Africa-Europe Summit, and of the minutes of the Second Meeting of the Bi-Regional Group at Senior Officials’ level, held in Lome, Togo on 25 - 26 June 2001;
RECALLS its Regulations CM/O AU/AEC/Regl. 1 (VIII) of February 2001 on the Follow-up on the Africa-Europe Summit, particularly the convening of the meetings of the Bi- Regional Committee at the Headquarters of the two institutions, and on the possibility of any Member State hosting one of the two meetings;
REITERATES OAU’s support for the candidature of Burkina Faso to host one of the follow-up ministerial meetings;
MANDATES the OAU Follow-up Committee, through its Core Group, to assume full responsibility for resolving all outstanding problems with the European Union and to this end:
URGES the two sides to comply with the provisions of the Cairo Plan of Action, particularly the convening of at least two Ministerial meetings to follow-up on the implementation of the Plan of Action, including Africa’s external debt, cultural goods and funds illegally taken out of the Continent;
CALLS on the two sides to ensure adequate preparation of these meetings with specific agenda, and the adoption of a joint document on the implementation status of the Cairo Plan of Action;
APPEALS to the European side to fully cooperate with the African side in clearing all obstacles in order for both parties to focus on substantive issues in the implementation of the Cairo Plan of Action, thereby preserving and sustaining the new partnership between the two sides;
URGES all Member States to provide the General Secretariat with the required information and inputs so as to facilitate the formulation of a strong African negotiating position on the implementation of the Cairo Plan of Action;
COMMENDS the Government of Togo for having hosted the Second Meeting of the Bi-Regional group at Senior Officials’ level in Lome, Togo from 25 - 26 June 2001;
REQUESTS all the RECs, the ADB and ECA to cooperate with the OAU in formulating African negotiating positions.