Contents:
Youssoufi's Regrets On African Integration
Wade Takes Oath As Senegalese President
Chiluba Affirms Zambia's Neutrality In Angolan war
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Youssoufi's Regrets On African Integration
March 31, 2000
RABAT, Morocco (PANA) - Prime minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi of Morocco has
warned that Africa's failure to exploit the advantages offered by "an early
and successful regional integration," was making the continent to lose out
in the current world economic system.
In a message to African businessmen gathered in Casablanca, 100 km south of
Rabat, Youssoufi said that the very low level of inter and intra-African
exchanges of people, goods, capital and services represented the most
significant indicator of this state of affairs.
"This reality puts up real challenges to African peoples and states, and
urges them to urgently meet the conditions needed to achieve economic,
technological and institutional short-cuts to a genuine regional
integration," Youssoufi said.
He observed that this prospect has become absolutely pressing due to the new
geo-strategic project for the expansion of a euro-African zone, to be
discussed at a joint continental summit opening in Cairo Monday.
According to Youssoufi, Africa will be a profitable market and a
non-negligible sphere of new economic activities in the years to come.
He stressed that this promising prospect can be explained through the
continent's future demographic and economic weight.
Between 1995 and 2030, the share of the European population against total
world population will go down from 15 percent to 11 percent, that of the
North America will remain close to 13 percent and that of Asia will remain
at 60 percent.
In the same period, the population of Africa will go up from 12.5 percent to
18 percent of the world total, constituting a market of about one billion
people in 2030.
On the economic front, available data indicate that direct foreign
investment stocks into Africa doubled between 1985 and 1995.
The meeting in Casablanca is examining partnership links with several
international agencies. It is also meant to be a forum for exchanging
business information.
Business people from several African countries are attending the Casablanca
meeting, whose theme is :"The African private sector in the face of regional
integration."
Wade Takes Oath As Senegalese President
April 1, 2000
DAKAR, Senegal (PANA) - Abdoulaye Wade (74) took the oath Saturday afternoon
in Dakar as Senegal's third president since independence from France in
1960.
The moving swearing in ceremony was witnessed by thousands of people,
including several African heads of state.
Wade told the crowd that he had decided to hold the swearing ceremony in the
Leopold Sedar Senghor stadium to symbolically mark an end to the solitary
management of public affairs by a "small circle" of people.
The previous oath-taking ceremonies were held inside parliament or the
constitutional council.
Wade, who persevered as opposition leader for 26 years before becoming
president, commended Senegalese voters for changing the country's
administration using the ballot.
He said demonstrated to the entire world that democracy "was accessible to
Senegalese people and Africans as a whole" provided there is patience.
In a special message, Wade urged the youth, who massively voted to propel
him to power, to be more serious in the construction of a democratic
Senegalese society of solidarity.
Wade particularly urged the youth to work hard to muster new information
technologies, including the Internet.
On the African front, the new president expressed his backing for the
concept of African Renaissance as well as the African Union mooted during
last September's extraordinary summit of the Organisation of African Unity
in Syrte, Libya.
Earlier, Wade had taken the oath before the five- member Senegalese
Constitutional Council chaired by its president, Justice Youssoupha N'diaye.
"I swear before the Senegalese nation to fully exercise the duty of
president of the Republic of Senegal, to abide by and ensure the scrupulous
observance of the constitution and laws, devote all my energy in the defence
of constitutional institutions, territorial integrity and national
independence and to spare no efforts in the realisation of African unity."
The swearing ceremony was witnessed by presidents Omar Bongo of Gabon,
Blaise Compaore (Burkina Faso), Robert Guei (Cote d'Ivoire), Alpha Oumar
Konare (Mali), Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya (Mauritania), Yahya Jammeh
(Gambia) and Kumba Yala of Guinea Bissau.
Also present was Nigeria's last military ruler, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubacar,
former Algerian president Ahmed ben Bella and Morocco's Crown Prince, Moulay
Rachid and the French co-operation minister, Charles Josselin.
Before Wade's maiden speech, a choir sang "the hymn of Africa" personally
composed by the leader of the former opposition Senegalese Democratic Party
(PDS).
After the swearing-in ceremony, Wade headed for the State House, Avenue
Leopold Sedar Senghor in central Dakar, for a hand-over ceremony with his
predecessor, Abdou Diouf, who had ruled Senegal since 1981 when he took over
from Leopold Sedar Senghor
Chiluba Affirms Zambia's Neutrality In Angolan war
March 31, 2000
LUSAKA, Zambia (PANA) - Zambian President Frederick Chiluba has reaffirmed
that his government will not be drawn into the war in neighbouring Angola
despite recent attacks in the north-western Chavuma area by suspected
Angolan troops.
"But I want to warn that our silence and position on the matter must not be
mistaken for fear. If they come to provoke us we will defend ourselves," he
told a press conference Friday.
More than 3,000 villagers from the border town of Chavuma were recently
forced to flee their homes following attacks by suspected Angolan troops who
have continued terrorising villagers and stealing property.
Chiluba called on Zambians not to be intimidated or live in fear.
"We do not intend to join in any civil war around. It is not our policy to
wage war against any country around us," he said.
Chiluba also said his government is preparing a reply to a UN report which
alleges Lusaka was involved in violating the sanctions imposed against
Angola's rebel UNITA movement.
He noted that the report acknowledged not investigating some of the
accusations levelled against Zambia.
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