DECISION ON AFRO-ARAB COOPERATION
Doc. EX.CL/570(XVI)
The Executive Council,
1. TAKES NOTE of the Report on the Thirteenth Session of the Standing Commission for Afro-Arab Cooperation (SCAAC) held in Tripoli, Libya, from 10 to 11 October 2009;
2. WELCOMES the convening of the Thirteenth Session of SCAAC, after a period of eight (8) years;
3. EXPRESSES APPRECIATION to the Government and People of the Great Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for hosting this important Session;
4. WELCOMES the offer by the Great Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to host the Second Afro-Arab Summit in Tripoli during the second half of October 2010 and REQUESTS the Chairperson of the Commission in collaboration with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States to ensure the successful preparation of the Summit;
5. DECIDES to transform the Afro-Arab Cultural Institute into the Afro-Arab Institute for Cultural and Strategic Studies;
6. ALSO WELCOMES the establishment of a Preparatory Committee, composed of Senior Officials from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Egypt, Tanzania and the African Union Commission on the Africa side and Algeria, Libya, Kuwait, Morocco and the League of Arab States on the Arab Side to coordinate and guide the technical and material preparation for the Second Afro-Arab Summit; and CALLS UPON the Chairperson of the Commission in collaboration with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States to provide all necessary support to the Committee to enable it perform its tasks efficiently;
7. APPEALS to Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all Member States of SCAAC to participate at the Fourteenth Session of SCAAC, which will be held in Cairo, Egypt on 4 March 2010 to consider important issues such as the Second Afro Arab Summit and REQUESTS the Commission, in collaboration with the League of Arab States, to ensure adequate preparation for the Session;
8. TAKES NOTE of the postponement of the Joint Afro-Arab Ministerial Meeting on Agricultural Development and Food Security planned for December 2009, and URGES all Ministers of Agriculture of Member States to confirm their participation at this important meeting which will take place in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt from 14 to 16 February 2010;
9. TAKES NOTE of the postponement of the High-Level Experts Meeting on Investment Prospects in Africa and the Arab World, planned for December 2009, and CALLS UPON the Commission in collaboration with the League of Arab States to take all necessary measures to ensure that the meeting takes place in April 2010;
10. REQUESTS the Commission to follow up on the implementation of this Decision and report to the next Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in July 2010.