Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 119: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department was represented at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4336/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland was represented at the African Union (AU) Summit held in Addis Ababa on 29- 30 January 2007 by the Director for Sub-Saharan Africa in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Summit was attended by Heads of State or Government and Foreign Ministers from all AU Member States, except Eritrea. The new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Palestinian Authority President Abbas, and the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Amr Moussa, were also among those in attendance.

Ghana's President Kufor was elected as Chairman of the AU for 2007, following the withdrawal of the candidacy of President Bashir of Sudan. Ghana's Chairmanship is particularly appropriate, since that country is celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence in 2007 and will host the next AU Summit in July 2007.

Declarations were adopted on the Summit's two themes of "Climate change and development in Africa", and "Science, technology and scientific research for development." To mark the 50th anniversary of the Confederation of African Football and encourage Africa–wide involvement in South Africa's hosting of the 2010 World Cup, the Summit launched 2007 as the International Year of African Football. The Summit adopted the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and urged Member States to sign and ratify it as soon as possible. The AU's budget of US$132.988 million for 2007 was approved. A Declaration was adopted on the negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), while the Summit also called for the prompt resumption and speedy and successful conclusion of the Doha Round of WTO negotiations.

In his address to the Summit, UNSG Ban Ki-moon reiterated that Darfur will remain his top priority and stressed the importance of AU/UN partnership in addressing the crisis there. Chairperson Konare, head of the AU's executive Commission, highlighted the need to implement the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement and called on the Sudanese parties to immediately halt all violence. He also expressed concern about the regional implications of the Darfur crisis in his address to the Summit, UNSG Ban Ki-moon reiterated that Darfur will remain his top priority and stressed the importance of AU/UN partnership in addressing the crisis there. Chairperson Konare, head of the AU's executive Commission, highlighted the need to implement the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement and called on the Sudanese parties to immediately halt all violence. He also expressed concern about the regional implications of the Darfur crisis on Chad and the Central African Republic. The Summit endorsed the efforts being undertaken by the AU and the UN to revitalise the Darfur peace process; welcomed Sudan's approval of these efforts; called on all parties to cooperate; and urged the UN to assume responsibility for the funding of the peace support operation in Darfur as soon as possible.

The Summit stressed that recent events, particularly the return of the Transitional Federal Government to Mogadishu, provide a unique opportunity to re-establish government structures in Somalia and promote lasting peace and reconciliation. It called for the immediate deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM); encouraged Member States to contribute troops in order to prevent a security vacuum following the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia; and urged the international community to assist with the rapid deployment of AMISOM. The Summit also supported current efforts by ECOWAS to restore peace and security in Côte d'Ivoire and resolve internal problems in Guinea.

Finally, AU Foreign Ministers welcomed the planned organisation of a second Africa-Europe Summit in Lisbon before the end of 2007, and endorsed the results of the Africa-EU Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development, held in Tripoli in November 2006.