President Sirleaf Attends 43rd ECOWAS Summit in Abuja; Situations in Mali and Guinea Bissau Top Agenda, Ahead of Elections Wednesday, 17th July 2013 ShareThis Facebook Tweet LinkedIn Email Abuja, Nigeria - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is in Abuja, Nigeria, to attend the 43rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. According to a dispatch from the Nigerian capital, President Sirleaf was met, on arrival, by the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Toga Gayewea McIntosh; Liberia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Al Hassan Conteh; Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan; and Defence Minister Brownie Samukai. The agenda for the two-day meeting of Heads of State and Government, which opened Wednesday afternoon, is to discuss, among other issues, the political and security situations in Mali and Guinea Bissau as the two West African nations prepare for crucial post-crisis elections. The Summit is also considering a number of recommendations in the 2013 Interim Report of the President of the ECOWAS Commission. Presidential polls have been fixed for July 28 and November 24, 2013, in Mali and Guinea Bissau, respectively. These elections come after various interventions by the regional body following military coups in both countries last year and armed insurrection in northern Mali. ECOWAS, working with the international community, mobilized resources and troops for the African-led International Support Mission (AFISMA), which transformed into a UN mission, MINUSMA, on July 1, to help stabilize the situation. France had intervened in January to halt the advance of the rebels from the north of Mali, significantly contributing to the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity. As regards Guinea Bissau, the ECOWAS Mission, ECOMIB, has since replaced the Portuguese military contingent in that country, where political transition is moving in tandem with a Defense and Security Sector Reform Program which is also supported by ECOWAS. The Abuja Summit is also considering a Memorandum on Mali, to be presented by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, and will be briefed by the ECOWAS Mediator on Mali, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, and his co-Mediator, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria. The regional leaders are listening to separate presentations by the Commission’s President and the Chairman of the regional Contact Group on the situation in Guinea Bissau. Other items on the mid-year Summit agenda include consideration of the memorandum on the expansion of the membership of the Commission from 9 to 15 and the allocation of statutory positions to Member States. The session will also consider the Interim Report of the President of the Commission; the Report of the 70th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers; as well as the Report of the 30th Meeting of the Mediation and Security Council, held on Tuesday, July 15, in Abuja. The venue and date of the 44th Ordinary Session will also be determined at this gathering. The Authority holds two ordinary meetings annually to consider various issues affecting the 15-nation organization set up in May 1975, now with a combined population of more than 300 million people, to facilitate regional integration and promote socio-economic development. At the opening session, President Jonathan of Nigeria welcomed his colleagues to Abuja. The current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, delivered the Opening Address. ECOWAS Commission President Ouédraogo and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa also made statements during the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, while President Sirleaf is away, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Dr. Edward B. McClain, Jr., is chairing the Cabinet in consultation with Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr. -
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:31:35 +0000
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