ACP ministerial meeting begins in Khartoum

Dec 4, 2006 (KHARTOUM) – Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group began their meeting in Khartoum on Monday to prepare for a summit due on Thursday and Friday.

During a two-day meeting, the ministers from the 79 member states of the ACP will discuss cooperation on cotton, sugar and banana production and exchange views on economic development as well as other issues of common concern.

Addressing the inaugural session of the meeting, Sudanese Vice President Ali Othman Mohammed Taha said that the ACP summit comes at a time when Sudan is heavily engaged in the implementation of three peace agreements signed to end conflicts in the south, west and east of the country.

“The Sudanese government is taking all measures to ensure timely implementation of all the agreements and exerting every effort to convince all the armed groups in Darfur to join the Darfur Peace Agreement in close cooperation with the African Union,” he said.

He expressed hope that the international community would live up to its responsibility and commitment to help Sudan achieve peace, saying that peace efforts in Sudan had created a positive environment for achieving substantial progress in addressing needs of the people.

Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho Monyane Moleleki, on his part, stressed that the summit comes at a time when all the ACP countries were facing various challenges and exerting efforts to meet fundamental goals and objectives of the group.

He expressed hope that the summit would come up with resolutions on a number of issues in the ACP.

(Xinhua)