National Revolution Party President, Cosmo Mumba has appealed to all opposition political party leaders not to shun this year’s independence celebrations.

Dr. Mumba said in an interview in Lusaka today that the Independence Day is an important national day which cuts across political affiliation.

He said there was need for all political leaders to put aside their political differences and participate in the celebrations.
Dr. Mumba said politicians should for once come together and celebrate this important day in the national calendar and reflect on the peace the country has continued to enjoy since its independence from Britain in 1964.

The opposition leader said this year’s Independence Day celebration should be used to reconcile politicians while reflecting on the many challenges the country has been facing.

He said Independence Day celebration should not be politicized as it is an important national event.

Dr. Mumba said his party has received an invitation from cabinet to attend the celebration and said he is ready to participate in the celebrations.

He also called on President Rupiah Banda to also take advantage of this year’s celebration to unite the country.

Zambia will celebrate its 45th Independence Day celebration on Saturday October 24, under the theme: Celebrating with the spirit of reconciliation and good neighborliness.

This will be the first Independence Day celebration to be graced by President Rupiah Banda since his election as Head of State.

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Speaker of National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa has directed Energy and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga to give the house full details of the 50 percent Total International shares transaction.

Mr. Mwanamwambwa says there is need for the Minister of Energy to enlighten the house with complete details on the intention by government to buy 50% of Indeni shares from Total International.

He said the Minister should, during the course of this week, provide full information of the transaction process for other members to understand.

Mr. Mwanamwamba stated that other Members of Parliament (MPs) have the right to know about the on-going negotiations between government and Total International concerning the possible shares transaction because the house has a role to play in matters of national economy.

The Speaker’s directive comes after Chipili Member of Parliament Davis Mwila raised a point of order against Energy Minister’s decision not to inform the house on the on going 50 % shares sale negotiations between government and Total International.

Presently government is negotiating with Total international to buy the company’s 50 % shares in Indeni Petroleum refinery for it to completely take over as sole owners of the company.

The current ownership of Indeni refinery is shared between government and Total international with 50 % shares each.

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President Rupiah Banda is tomorrow expected in Uganda’s capital city, Kampala where he will join other African leaders from 35 nations to attend a land mark African Union (AU) Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the continent.

President Banda will be among other African Heads of State at the two-day Summit which is expected to be officially opened on Thursday by Libyan Leader Muammar Gadaffi who is also the incumbent AU Chairperson. The special summit will culminate into the adoption of the AU Convention on IDPs and Refugees.

The Summit which opened with the AU extraordinary session for ministers from respective African countries will also honour nations that have played a key role in hosting refugees and IDPs. Host country Ugandan Premier Apolo Nsibambi opened the ministers’ meeting which is expected to officially close today.
The Ministers meeting is also being attended by Zambia’s Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani who is leading the Zambian delegation part of which arrived in Kampala last night.

Zambia’s participation is cardinal at the historic Summit dubbed Addressing the Challenge of forced Displacement in Africa and aims to end the causes of forced displacement in Africa.

Briefing the Zambian delegation which included Mr Mangani, this morning at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, the venue of the AU Summit, Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Lazarous Kapambwe said the AU Summit on refugees and IDPs is the first of its kind and it is Zambia’s brain child.

Mr Kapambwe expressed happiness that Zambia not only initiated the concept of Refugees/ IDPs Summit but also contributed to the formulation of the AU draft Convention which African leaders are expected to endorse.

‘’Zambia’s participation is significant because we originated the idea at the Burkina Faso African Union Heads of State in 2006 and also the country has hosted refugees and IDPs for a long time now. Therefore, we felt the need for the AU Heads to meet and discuss the issue of IDPs which lacks the legal framework to protect them’’, he said.

Mr Kapambwe who pointed out that the Summit was scheduled to take place last year but was deferred to this year, noted that the African continent has been hosting refugees and IDPs more than any other continent in the world hence the need to devise an instrument which would cater for the humanitarian aid of IDPs.

Unlike, the refugees, a legal framework to cater for the IDPs was lacking therefore the AU heads have seen it imperative to endorse a convention which will also be used to lobby the United Nations and the International community to equally adopt the convention to consolidate support.

He said the convention is supposed to be endorsed at the UN level however, African leaders felt compelled to first lay ground before tabling the matter to the world body adding that the convention will be a launch pad to pressurize the UN to back the instrument at global level.

The Zambian Permanent Representative to UN explained that currently the UN and the international community was restrained from supporting IDPs because they did not want to interfere in the sovereignty of their countries.

He said the IDPs issue has been considered as the responsibility of the State by the UN and international community due to sovereignty factors but experience has shown that in some cases the State has been the cause of these problems.

At the same briefing, Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Ndiyoi Mutiti said for the first time, Africa is trying to address issues by dealing with the causes of refugees and IDPs unlike being reactive.

Ms Mutiti said the collective responsibility approach of dealing with the refugees/IDPs issue will help resolve problems currently being faced in supporting these peoples.

Earlier, Home Affairs Commissioner for Refugees Jacob Mphepo attributed the problem of refugees and IDPs to conflict and noted that the only difference between the two was that the former crossed the border.

Mr Mphepo said the convention will also provide for monitoring mechanisms and reporting in order to ensure that countries did not flout the instrument.
Zambia’s delegation also includes Western Province Minister Adonis Mufali whose region is also host to refugees, Chitambo Member of Parliament Dr Solomon Musonda and other senior Government officials.

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The Mansa District Freedom and Democracy Fighters Association has called on government to recognize and award freedom fighters residing in rural areas.

Association Chairman, Cyprian Mulonda said freedom fighters in rural areas also contributed to the fight against colonialism in Zambia, leading to the country’s political independence in 1964, but they were not being remembered for the noble role they played.

Mr. Mulonda called on government to extend the giving of awards to rural based freedom fighters also.

Mr. Mulonda said this during a meeting with Mansa District Commissioner Major Chibwe Nsakasha on Tuesday.

He said most freedom fighters in rural areas who greatly contributed to the liberation of Zambia have not been noticed, adding that many of them have been long dead.

Mr. Mulonda said his association will soon embark on a program to locate and register freedom fighters in the district whose names will be submitterd to government for the granting of awards during this year’s independence day investiture ceremony.

In a related development, Mr. Mulonda appealed to government to assist its members with fertilizer and farming inputs for use during the coming farming season.

He said most freedom fighters in the district were ailing and too poor to manage buying the fertilizer and other farming inputs to enable them fight the hunger and poverty in which they are wallowing with their families.

In reaction, Major Nsakasha challenged the freedom fighters in the district to get organized and unite for government to easily help them.

He said freedom fighters deserve respect and honour for the role they played in the liberation of Zambia from colonial rule, 45 years ago.

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