EAC Common Market talks resume Saturday

The second round of the East African Community (EAC) negotiations on the planned free movement of goods, services, capital and persons by the year 2010 is to resume Saturday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. A statement from the EAC Secretariat signed by the Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Julius B. Onen, reads that High Level Task Forces (HLTF) from all member countries; Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, are to attend. The rescheduling came after the second meeting that was to be held in Nairobi in April and May were deferred twice upon Tanzania’s request to be granted more time for consultation having missed out the first negotiations due to tight domestic tasks. A report from the Kigali negotiations was sent to Tanzania for their input by the Secretariat. It was the third time Tanzania, one of the three founder members, requested for more time since negotiations commenced. The second postponement was to allow the regional bloc founder members (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) finalise the EAC budgeting process that is expected to be complete by mid August. New members Rwanda and Burundi will be integrated into the EAC budget system in June next year. The postponements were said to be a big threat to the proposed negotiation roadmap whose deadline is December, 2008. Prudence Sebahizi, the Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s Regional Integration Committee (RIC), said the country’s HLTF is ready to present its interest. “This is because when Tanzania requested for time, we also took advantage of that and made necessary consultations,” he explained. Sebahizi, also the chief negotiator for Rwanda, disclosed that a team of 23 members of HLTF have been commissioned to represent Rwanda and safeguard her national interests within the regional common market framework. According to the agenda sent from the Secretariat, the eight-day summit to be held at the Grand Regency hotel, Nairobi, will consider comments from Tanzania on the last report of the HLTF before considering the items that were not discussed during the Kigali summit because of limited time. The items on the agenda include right of establishment and residence, transport and free movement of labour, capital and service. The second phase of negotiations is also expected to discuss preparatory activities in the run-up to a Monetary Union. An agenda for the next negotiations in Burundi and a report that will be forwarded to the secretariat for comments will be drafted at the end of the Summit. Ends

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EAC Common Market talks resume Saturday