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President Kufuor returns home from Addis Ababa
Accra, Feb. 2, Ghanadot/GNA- The
President, John Agyekum Kufuor, returned home this afternoon
from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he attended the Tenth
Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union from
January 31 to February 2, 2008.
He was accompanied by some senior government officials.
Briefing newsmen on arrival, Mr Andrew Awuni, Presidential
Spokesperson, said President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania had
been elected as the new Chairman of the African Union (AU).
He said this followed the ending of President Kufuor's one
year term as chairman of the AU. Mr Awuni said Gabonese
Foreign Minister, Jean Ping, had also taken over from Mr
Alpha Konare as Chairman of the AU Commission.
Mr Awuni said two other meetings, namely the 18th session of
Heads of State of the Implementation Group of NEPAD and the
eighth session of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
were also held.
Presdident Kufuor, he said, presented a comprehensive second
annual report on issues bordering on democracy, governance,
gender, land, among others, to the session, noting that,
Ghana was the first signatory to the APRM.
He said President Kufuor also elaborated measures his
government had taken to live up to the recommendations of
the APRM.
Mr Awuni said the implementation group at the 18th session
of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD,
agreed that NEPAD would become an agency under the AU and no
longer remain an autonomous body.
The presidential spokesperson said during the tenure of
President Kufuor as AU Chairman, he proposed the setting up
of a panel of five African Heads of State to prepare a
document for the road map towards a Union Government in
Africa.
He said when the road map was presented to the Executive
Council of the AU; the council could not come to a consensus
on the recommendations in it.
He said the issue came up again at the tenth session of the
AU, and it was agreed that ten Heads of State and Government
would be selected, as well as the AU Chairman, Jakaya
Kikwete and the immediate past Chairman, President Kufuor.
He said these twelve eminent personalities would examine the
road map and study recommendations and present a report to
the AU during its next session expected to be held in July
this year.
Mr Awuni said a 13 member audit panel, which was instituted
by President Kufuor during his tenure as AU Chairman to
examine the various agencies under the AU, resented its
report and was duly accepted.
He said the 12 eminent personalities, who were to be
selected as proposed at the tenth session, would examine the
audit report and present it at the July session of the AU.
He said the Tenth Ordinary AU session also endorsed
President Kufuor's initiative during his tenure to set up a
three member panel led by Former UN Secretary Genneral, Mr
Kofi Annan, to restore peace in Kenya following the post
election violence in that country.
Mr Awuni said the UN Secretary Genneral, Ban Ki Moon, who
attended the opening of the session, pledged the UN's
support to Mr Kofi Annan's panel.
He said President Kufuor had to break his trip to Rome,
where he was to attend the Annual General Meeting of the
World Food Program, in order to be at home to lend his
support to the Black Stars of Ghana in Sunday’s match
against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
President Kufuor was met at the airport by Ministers of
State, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Patrick
Acheampong and other senior Military and Police personnel.
GNA
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