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Tue May 22nd, 2007
Main trading bloc meet in
Kenya
Leaders from Africa's main trading bloc gathered in Kenya
on Tuesday to discuss ways of enhancing its free trade zone at
a two-day summit here amid widespread regional tensions.
The summit caps a 12-day meeting of the Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).
The heads of state and government are due to approve important
steps towards customs union, set to be launched next year,
after their trade ministers last week agreed on a common
external tariff deal.
The deal recommends that countries allow free movement of
capital goods, introduce a tax of 10 percent for intermediate
products and 25 percent for finished goods, Comesa officials
said.
The leaders are also expected to discuss regional peace and
security, including recent violence in the Democratic Republic
of Congo and Somalia.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki will on Tuesday take over the
chairmanship of the bloc from outgoing chairman President
Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti.
They joined President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Rwandan President Paul
Kagame and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa arriving at the UN
headquarters in Nairobi on Tuesday morning.
The 19-member bloc, representing around 400 million people,
plans to launch a customs union in December 2008, but experts
say the deal may be delayed by some member states who fear
their weaker economies could collapse.
Comesa groups Burundi, Comoros, the DRC, Djibouti, Egypt,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
esinislam.com + Agencies
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