President Mwanawasa this morning left Addis Ababa for London where he is scheduled to undergo a routine medical check up.
Dr Mwanawasa was in Ethiopia to attend the African Union, AU, Heads of State and Government summit which officially closed yesteday.
ZANIS reports from Addis Ababa that President Mwanawasa who was accompanied by First Lady, departed Addis Ababa’s Bole international airport at 03:30 hours Zambian time for London.
He returns home this Saturday.
And Briefing Zambian journalists last night at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton hotel, President Mwanawasa said the Zambian people should not be apprehensive about his visit to London because he was merely going there for a routine medical check which he undergoes every after three months.
The President said he was in good health.
Foreign Affairs minister Kabinga Pande and his counterpart for Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati saw off the President to London.
Others at the airport were Local Government Deputy Minister Ben Tetamashimba, Copperbelt minister Mwansa Mbulakulima, Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the AU Patrick Sinyinza, embassy officials and other senior Ethiopian and Zambian government officials.
While in Ethiopia, Dr Mwanawasa attended among other engagements the African Peer Review Mechanism, APRM, under the auspices of NEPAD and the Committee of 10 on the United Nations Reforms.
The President also held bilateral talks with India’s External Affairs Minister Anand Sharma who extended an invitation to him to attend that country’s summit on India-Africa coming up in April this year.
He also held bilateral talks with World Bank President Robert Zoellick and Food and Agriculture Organisation Director General Dr Jacques Diouf who pledged assistance towards Zambia’s economic development.
The President also conferred with Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on issues of common interest.
On the outcome of the summit in relation to this year’s theme ’Industrial Development in Africa,’ Dr Mwanawasa observed that Africa had vast resources which needed value addition to make them competitive on the global market.
Dr Mwanawasa who was flanked by foreign affairs minister kabinga Pande and Commerce minister Felix Mutati during the briefing, observed that without adding value to her natural resources, Africa was exporting both jobs and its natural resources to industrialised countries.
The President said to enhance her competitiveness on the global market, African countries should enhance their production base so that they export finished products at a higher value.
On Zambia’s benefits from the summit, Dr Mwanawasa said the country was provided with an opportunity to exchange ideas with its peers on the continent and that it had a chance to meet with Indian, World Bank, the Food Agriculture Organisation officials whom he asked for assistance towards the effects of the floods afflicting the country for which they pledged support.
The President described the bilateral talks with these partners as fruitful and that they were willing to assist Zambia.
The President also touched on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) meeting which he attended along with other heads of state and government last Wednesday ahead of the official opening of the main AU summit.
Dr Mwanawasa disclosed that Zambia was currently working on her APRM report and that the country mission was led by former Mozambican First Lady Gracia Machel.
The President said Zambia was awaiting assessment by the Committee on its APRM progress.
Dr Mwanawasa said while such institutions were doing well, there was also need to sensitise the people on such institutions.
He attributed the delay to review Zambia’s APRM record to the fact that the country was dealing with the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).
In addition, the president said government had acceeded to the APRM at a time when the component was not budgeted for but that there was now provision in this year’s budget for it.
Dr Mwanawasa disclosed that during the APRM meeting, Benin was reviewed while Rwanda and Uganda presented their annual APRM reports whose quality he said was encouraging.
On the proposed Union Government, President Mwanawasa said the matter was discussed during the summit which officially closed yesterday although the heads of state and government did not go into details.
A committee comprising two representatives from each region would report back on the matter in July at an extraordinary session billed for Egypt.
The President who is also the SADC chairperson, said the Zambian government and the southern African region has accepted that the concept of a union government was desirable but that it was necessary to consult the people on the matter saying it was not an issue where a President could single handedly make a decision.
The Third Ministerial Committee that took place from 27 to 28 November last year here underlined the need to reinforce and revitalise the structures of the African Union while putting in place a mechanism as well as appropriate structures to expedite the process for the establishment of the Union Government.
The audit report compiled by a high level panel of the continental body has brought out several factors crippling the AU including lack of better qualified staff at African Union missions.
On the UN reforms, President Mwanawasa said the AU had maintained its stance of having two representatives on the UN Security Council with the right of veto.
And on Zambia’s unsuccessful bid to head the AU Commission through its candidate Dr Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika, Dr Mwanawasa stated that the loss did not reflect Zambia’s inadequacies of the campaign or candidate.
‘’We accept the loss because in a democracy you win or lose. She came second to the winner Gabonese foreign affairs minister Jean Ping but we wished she had won’’, the President said.
The President also expressed happiness at COMESA Secretary General Erastus Mwencha’s victory as AU Commission Deputy Chairperson.
Dr Mwanawasa hoped that Dr Mwencha who hails from Kenya, will make significant contribution to the continental body.
