12th COMESA Summit preparations on course
Capital FM, Nairobi
12th COMESA Summit preparations on course
By Charity Katago
2 May 2007
NAIROBI, May 2 - Trade Minister Mukhisa Kituyi has said preparations for the 12th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit are on course.
Speaking Wednesday Kituyi said 10 Heads of State have confirmed attendance and more are still expected.
He said the main focus of the Summit is to strengthen and consolidate the free trade area; push forward the agenda of deepening integration through the customs union, and consider progress on Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations.
“As chairman of the Eastern and Southern African configuration of Countries (ESA) negotiating EPA’s with European Union, I will be hosting a COMESA minus Libya and Egypt meeting on progress on EPAs negotiations,” said Kituyi. Libya and Egypt are not members of ESA.
Kituyi said among key areas that would be reviewed during the Summit is the progress being made in infrastructural development.
He said Kenya will be addressing the high production costs occasioned by energy expenses and infrastructural impediments which make the country’s products uncompetitive against imports from other countries such as Egypt.
“Government and the country put substantial premium to COMESA relations particularly as the most important market for Kenya in the whole world. We want to nurture this,” said Kituyi.
Meanwhile Kituyi said the country is committed to meeting the deadline of January 2008 on the Economic Partnership Agreements.
He said trying to delay negotiations to seek a waiver on the agreements will be extremely difficult as the World Trade Organization would have to sanction the extension.
“We agreed that we must complete negotiations of fundamental pillars on the EPAs and whatever remains can be negotiated as part of implementation in January so we are committed to meeting the deadline,” he affirmed.
Players in the horticulture industry had earlier called on the Minister to lobby for an extension of the deadline to avoid huge losses to the industry.
In addition Kituyi said an agreement has been reached on the custom external tariff classification between COMESA and East African Community customs union member countries.
He said this means there will be no contradiction any more on how to relate the two trade blocs considering some of the members are not members of both.
