President Levy Mwanawasa is expected to arrive in Egypt’s tourism resort city of Sharm-el-Sheikh on Sunday to attend the 11th Ordinary African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit which opens on Monday, June 30th, 2008.

And the two-day13th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, comprising Foreign Affairs Ministers opened today in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt with concern raised over the global increase of food and oil prices.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande confirmed that President Mwanawasa, who is also Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chairman, would arrive in Egypt on Sunday to ZANIS in Egypt today.

Mr. Pande, who is leading the Presidential advance party, said the Egypt summit would discuss among other things the raising global food prices which were affecting every one on the continent.

The Minister said the summit would also discuss water and sanitation, progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), economic integration of the continent among others.

Mr. Pande said the summit would also discuss the issue of water because in the near future, the commodity might become as expensive as oil was today.

The 11th AU summit, whose theme is “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation”, will take place from June 30 to July 1 this year.

Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande, Tourism Minister Michael Kaingu, Local Government Minister Silvia Masebo, Justice Minister George Kunda and Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani are among the members of the presidential delegation.

And the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has said that the continent faces a lot of challenges from the impact of current developments in the international economic scene.

ECA Executive Secretary, Abdoulie Janneh, said during the opening of the 13th Session of the Executive Council of the AU in Sharm-el-Sheikh that recent positive economic performance of Africa was being threatened by global economic emergencies in food and energy markets.

Mr. Janneh, who is also the United Nations under Secretary General, said the above problems which were closely linked with the negative effects of climate change had potential to undermine political stability and scaling up of efforts aimed at achieving the MDGs.

He called for use of common solutions and benefits of regional and international cooperation to drive and guide national actions aimed at addressing the problems.

Mr. Janneh urged the international community to reduce trade restrictions and distorting agricultural support policies as a way of addressing the escalating food prices in Africa.

He said similar attention should be paid to soaring oil prices and called for solidarity between oil producing and consuming African countries.

ZANIS/MB/KSH/ENDS

Agriculture and Co-operative Minister, Sarah Sayifwanda, has assured Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) workers and retirees that government would release K58.3 billion in the next two weeks for recapitalization of the company.

Mrs. Sayifwanda disclosed this in Kafue today when she addressed scores of angry NCZ workers at the Kafue District Commissioner’s office during a meeting.

Three days ago, the workers gave the minister a three day ultimatum in which to address them and tell them the future of the company.

Mrs. Sayifwanda told the workers that the three days which she was given was not enough to source for the required funds, saying President Levy Mwanawasa and the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Ng’andu Magande, were busy with other issues of national interest.

Mrs. Sayifwanda, who was accompanied by her deputy minister, Daniel Kalenga, and Lusaka Police Commanding officer, Greenwell Nguni, pleaded with the workers to give her time to effectively deal with the issue.

She said government would not close NCZ because President Mwanawasa and the MMD government attached great importance to the plant.

Mrs. Sayifwanda commended the workers for their patience despite numerous problems they were going through.

She pointed out that she was not a liar and she will ensure that the company is recapitalized so it continues operations.

Speaking earlier, NCZ Nation Union of Commercial and Industrial Workers ( NUCIW) branch Chairman Robert Musanje expressed disappointment with the government for failing to deal with the issue of NCZ prudently.

Mr. Musanje urged the workers not give up but continue fighting so that their plight can be heard.

He appealed to government to sort out the problems of NCZ once and for all stating that government’s release of funds to the company in piece meal was not solving anything.

The meeting which was attended by hundreds of workers was characterized by heavy presence of police and paramilitary officers in riot gear and gas canisters to maintain order in the event of any riotous behavior by the workers.

The workers demanded that government pays them off their terminal benefits saying they are tired of going to the streets every time they are not funded for production and salaries.

They lamented that many of them have become destitutes and are no longer able to sponsor their children to school.

The workers expressed fears that National Housing Authority (NHA) will anytime start reposing houses from them as the company has failed to buy the houses on their behalf due to lack of funds.

ZANIS/BS/MKENDS

United Party for National Development (UPND) has called upon Government to immediately re-capitalise Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia in order to mitigate the local fertiliser prices.

UPND Chairperson for Information and Publicity Charles Kakoma said re-capitalizing NCZ is inevitable following the increase in world prices of fertiliser by more than 300 per cent as announced in the international media recently.

This is contained in a media statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

Mr. Kakoma noted that NCZ is a strategic institution for the development of the country’s agriculture sector.

He said although the Government has no control on the world prices of raw materials for the manufacture of fertiliser, there is need for it to quickly find a solution to the rising fertiliser prices as most peasant farmers cannot afford to buy the commodity at the newly announced prices.

Mr. Kakoma said the UPND is concerned with the manner in which the ruling MMD government is addressing the agriculture sector at the time the world is faced with the challenge of increased food prices.

He said President Levy Mwanawasa’s government should make decisive steps to ensure that Zambian farmers have affordable inputs that would help them keep food prices low.

Mr. Kakoma has also urged Government to quickly resolve and take into consideration the plight of NCZ workers and retirees believed not to have been paid their dues.

He said Government should always ensure that institutions such as NCZ are recapitalized in order for farmers to benefit from relatively cheaper fertiliser and to ensure that its workers in Kafue District have employment to enable them support their families.

ZANIS/ENDS/CM/CLM

Voting in the Milanzi parliamentary by-election in Katete district in Eastern province is progressing well, with over 900 people having voted by 09:00 hours this morning.

A check by ZANIS in over seven polling stations found hundreds of people anxiously queuing up to cast their votes despite the cold weather.

At around 09:00 hours, 300 had cast their votes at Kagoro Basic polling station, 233 at Dole basic school polling station, 150 at Kawaza, 130 at Kafumbwe basic school and 98 at Chimbundire polling station.

The number of registered voters at Dole polling station is 646 but only 233 had voted by 11:00hours, while Kagoro polling station has 722 where 300 people had cast their votes by 11:00 hours.

Kawaza polling station has 438 voters in the register but only 150 had cast their votes by 10:00 hours.

Voting closes at 18:00 hours this evening.

The Milanzi constituency seat fell vacant in March this after the death of Dr. Chosani Njovu of the United National Independence Party (UNIP).

Political parties contesting the seat include the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), Patriotic Front (PF), United National Independence Party (UNIP), United Party for National Development (UPND), All People’s Congress party (APC) and the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD).

Milanzi constituency has 19,700 registered voters and 40 polling stations.

ZANIS/LN/KSH/ENDS

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) have maintained that the presidential run-off election set for June 27 is still on, and have since dismissed Morgan Tsvangirai’s withdrawal from the race.

ZEC chairperson Justice George Chiweshe told journalists that it was too late for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader to pull out of the election.

Chiweshe said the Commission met earlier in the day to deliberate on the issue, following the submission of the withdrawal letter by Tsvangirai on Tuesday.

‘It was unanimously agreed that the withdrawal had inter alia been filed well out of time and for that reason the withdrawal was of no legal effect.

‘Accordingly, the Commission does not recognize the purported withdrawal and is therefore proceeding with the presidential run-off election as planned,’ he said.

Chiweshe said ballot papers had since been printed and dispatched.
Tsvangirai, who is pitted against Zanu PF candidate President Robert Mugabe in the election, withdrew from the election, citing various reasons.

In his arguments for the pullout, the opposition leader said obtaining conditions, among them, political violence and intimidation, made it difficult to hold a free and fair poll.

Following the withdrawal statements, Justice Chiweshe told observers and other stakeholders on Monday that the country would still hold credible elections despite the various incidences of political violence that occurred.
“We do not have a war in the country, generally there is peace,” he said.

“You never have an election (anywhere in the world) that is 100 percent perfect and I believe we can hold a free and fair election.”
He said the Commission was ready for the election as logistics had been put in place.

The Friday run-off election follows failure by both candidates to garner a majority vote in the harmonised elections held on March 29.

Three by-elections are also to be held on the same day.
New Ziana/ZANIS/MK

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa says he remains committed to fighting vices such as corruption that frustrate government’s efforts of improving the national economy.

Dr Mwanawasa said he will continue with the crusade against corruption in order to secure a stable environment for the implementation of developmental projects.

He said the crusade has helped the country regain investor confidence in various sectors of the economy especially in the mining sector, and increased donor aid in the education and health sectors.

In view of the prevailing environment for investments, Dr. Mwanawasa said government has embarked on mineral and oil exploration in selected parts of the country.

ZANIS reports that The President said government is spending substantive financial resources on exploiting natural resources for improved economic activities that are aimed at alleviating poverty.

Dr Mwanawasa further stated his return to active politics in 2001 was intended to improve transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

Meanwhile the president has called for the quick completion on rehabilitation of Kagoro basic school for which government released K19 Billion for the project.

He expressed concern with the slow pace at which rehabilitation works are going on at the school.

Dr Mwanawasa also expressed disappointment with Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) for wanting to insist on carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project when, the school has in fact existed since 1943.

He said the money that the ECZ expected the school to pay in form of study fees could be used for other projects at the school.

The president directed the minister of education professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa to ensure the quick completion of rehabilitation works at the school.

Dr Mwanawasa said his emphasize on free education to be compulsory for all children in the country was aimed at ensuring that all children receive better education as was the case in the past.

Dr. Mwanawasa who this afternoon completed his three day visit to Katete is tomorrow expected to attend the burial of vice president Rupiah Banda’s late mother Sara Zulu in Chipata and later return to Lusaka.

He was in Katete to drum up support for MMD parliamentary candidate Reuben Banda for tomorrow’s Milanzi Bye Election.

The Seat which is being contested By UPND, UNIP, ACP,PF and FDD fell vacant after the death of Chosani Njovu of UNIP.

ZANIS/HN/LN/SJK/MK/ENDS

The National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has planned to adopt reports of at least six committees by the end of this year.

The NCC divided its work into 11 committees, under which each article of the Mung’omba draft constitution, which is a term of reference, falls.

NCC Chairperson, Chifumu Banda, said at a press briefing in Lusaka today that so far, three committees have already concluded their deliberations on their terms of reference.

Mr. Banda said committees that have concluded deliberations on their terms of reference are the Citizenship committee, the Judicial Committee and the Public Service committee.

“The reports of these committees are being finalised by the secretariat. The members of these committees will be called again for a few days to come and approve these reports before presentation to the conference for deliberation and adoption,” Mr. Banda said.

He told journalists that three other committees have since been called to meet next month to deliberate on their terms of reference for 20 working days before parliament resumes sitting in August this year.

The three committees that would meet in July are the Democratic Governance, the Local Government and the Public Finance.

Mr. Banda explained that the NCC has planned to meet in September and August this year when parliament would be on recess to adopt the six reports of the committees.

“The NCC will meet to adopt six reports of the Citizenship committee, the Democratic Governance Committee, the Judicial Committee, the Local Government Committee, the Public Service Committee and the Public Finance Committee,” he said.

He said if everything worked according to the NCC schedule, the six reports should be considered before parliament resumes its business in November 2008.

He said the conference would from 1st December this year to early January 2009, call other committees to deliberate on their terms of reference.

“As you can see, we intend to adopt at the very least, reports of six committees. This means come next year, we will have only five committees or less to attend to,” he said.

Mr. Banda said after this, the conference would need six days in which to publish the initially adopted constitution to enable members of the public make comments on it.

“The adopted constitution will be translated in all major local languages and public discussions will be held on radio and television so that the people are fully involved,” he added.

The NCC Chairman explained that the NCC would after six days of publishing the initially adopted constitution, meet to consider comments from the public and then adopt the draft constitution.

“We intend to listen to the people very carefully. As you know NCC members are, by law, accountable to the Zambian people,” he said.

He further said after the draft constitution is adopted, the NCC members would decide whether to submit the entire draft constitution to the national referendum or to parliament for immediate enactment of those parts whose alteration would not require a national referendum.

He said if such parts of the constitution were submitted to parliament for immediate enactment, then those parts that required a national referendum would be submitted to the referendum.

Mr. Banda cited part III, which is the Bill of Rights, and Article 79 of the current constitution and other articles in the Mung’omba draft constitutions over which the NCC has failed to reach a decision as some of the parts that could require a national referendum before parliament enacts the final constitution.

He has since thanked individuals and government departments that sent officers to brief NCC members of committees on various important issues.

The NCC started sitting in December last year to deliberate, debate and finally adopt the draft Mung’omba constitution, which was a result of the Mung’omba Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) that was created in 2003.

Over 400 people from different professions, occupations and careers form the NCC composition and are sitting on 11 committees which are deliberating the terms of reference of the Mung’omba draft constitution.

ENDS/KSH/AM/ZANIS

President Levy Mwanawasa says government is working on a programme aimed at improving the state of feeder roads across the country to secure improved productivity in the next farming season.

Dr. Mwanawasa said government has since procured road construction equipment worthy US$39.5 million which would be used to improve the state of road infrastructure, including feeder roads in the country.

He said government was aware of the extent of damage to road infrastructure caused by heavy rains in the last rain season.

He was speaking today at a public rally held at Kafumbwe High School grounds in Katete district to drum up support for the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) candidate, Rueben Banda for the June 26th 2008, Milanzi by-election.

Dr. Mwanawasa said government has worked hard to introduce good agricultural policies which have made it possible for the country to have a sound food security by producing enough maize for consumption.

He said government was also working to improve the livestock farming in Eastern province.

He disclosed that a centre for artificial insemination which would also manufacture animal disease vaccines was under construction in the province.

He said the artificial insemination centre to avail farmers an opportunity to improve their livestock breeds into quality and disease resistant animals.

And the President also said government has constructed many schools health centres in the province in general and Milanzi constituency in particular to improve the quality of life of the communities in this area.

Dr. Mwanawasa said a state of the art school at Kafumbwe has been constructed to help reduce illiteracy levels in the area.

He said government recognised that improved access to education would help government to effectively implement developmental programmes in all sectors of the economy.

He therefore expressed disappointment at the recent move by Kafumbwe High School pupils to riot and destroy infrastructure and school property recently.

Dr. Mwanawasa said the destruction of the school infrastructure was a frustration to government efforts of improving infrastructure in the education sector, which he said was a measure of providing quality education to Zambians.

He also regretted that the recent incident would send wrong signals to the donors that partnered with government to construct Kafumbwe High School in Milanzi constituency in Katete district.

“I was extremely frustrated when pupils at this school demonstrated and damaged property. And you expect government to repair the damaged when it is working hard to ensure that similar infrastructure is taken to other needy areas of the country,” he said.

Dr. Mwanawasa added that, “even the foreign country that helped fund the construction of this school will get frustrated because you the pupils are damaging the school hardly two years after it was constructed”.

He urged the pupils at the school to guard the infrastructure jealously because it has been put up to facilitate their easy access to education.

He has further urged the pupils to work very hard for them to meaningfully contribute to the country’s future development because they formed part of the future leadership.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mwanawasa has urged the electorate in Milanzi constituency to vote for the MMD in Thursday’s by-election in order to sustain ongoing implementation of projects in the area.

He cautioned them to be wary of false promises being given by some political parties which are promising to provide free fertilizer, which he said was not possible.

The President said the people should vote for the MMD because it was the party in government managing the national resources in an exemplary manner.

He warned them against experimenting with leadership because doing so could derail ongoing developmental programmes.

Earlier, Dr. Mwanawasa paid a courtesy call on paramount chief Kalonga-Gawa Undi of the Chewa people of Katete district in Eastern province.

The Milanzi seat, which fell vacant after the death of the UNIP Member of Parliament Chosani Njovu in April this year, is being contested by five candidates.

These are Mr. Banda of MMD, United National Independence Party’s (UNIP) Ahmed Randera, Chimwala Phiri of the United Party for National Development (UPND), Francis Banda of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), All People’s Congress’ (ACP) Stephen Phiri and Patriotic Front’s Peter Phiri.
ZANIS/SKJ/KSH/AM/ENDS