President Levy Mwanawasas has arrived in the Portuguese Capital, Lisbon, today to attend the European Union (EU)/ African Union (AU) Summit which opens tomorrow.

Dr. Mwanawasa arrived in Lisbon at around 16:35 Zambian time after concluding a three-day official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.

The President was welcomed at Lisbon International Airport by Portugal’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Joao Gomes Cravinho and senior government officials.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande, Zambia’s Ambassador to Italy Lucy Mung’oma and other senior Zambian government officials were also on hand to receive the President.

Others who are in trhe adavance party of the Zambian delegation are Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felex Mutati and State House Deputy Minister Richard Taima.

In Germany, President Mwanawasa held several meetings including private talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal President Horst Kohler.

The two-day Africa-Europe Summit has been convened in Lisbon as part of the efforts to forge stronger political and economic ties between the two continents.

Top on the agenda of the Lisbon Summit are issues on human rights, good governance, global warming, immigration and trade.

The build up to the summit has been controversal with British Prime Minister Gorden Brown staying away from the meeting because of misunderstandings with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

At a joint press briefing in Berlin with President Mwanawasa, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said other EU member states were going to be present at the Lisbon Summit despite Britain’s boycot.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe including other 52 African leaders is expected in Lisbon today for his first EU Summit in seven years.

At the instance of the AU, however, Portugal invited all African leaders including President Mugabe to attend the summit.

Deputy Minister for Youth, Sport and Child Development Angela Cifire has disclosed that government was working towards having 50 per cent of youths in employment by the year 2015.

Ms. Cifire said government, through the national youth policy, was focusing on having 30 per cent young people in all levels of decision making in the country in the next eight years.

She said the young people should be guided to make decisions that would make them productive in the country.

She has since called on parents, guardians and other adults to provide love and guidance to the young people for them grow into respectable and responsible citizens of Zambia.

Ms. Cifire was speaking today when she launched the “Love Re-defined Project” under the Motivated Generation International organisation for youths at Lusaka’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

And former Vice President, Nevers Mumba urged young people to make right decisions so that they did not regret when they are old.

Earlier, MGI President, Steady Phiri said time has come for young people to stand up and redefine their values for them to be responsible people in society.

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, ahead of this weekend’s EU-Africa summit. He is banned from the EU, but was let in after African leaders threatened to stay away if he was not invited.

UK PM Gordon Brown, who is critical of Mr Mugabe’s human rights record, is boycotting the summit in protest.

EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has criticised Mr Brown’s decision, saying that leaders sometimes have to meet people they disapprove of.

“If you are an international leader then you are going to have to be prepared to meet some people your mother would not like you to meet. That is what we have to do from time to time,” he said.

Overshadowed

The president of the European parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, expressed his hope that Mr Mugabe’s presence would not overshadow the summit.

“The presence of one person is a fact, but the relations between Africa and the European Union are more important than the presence of this person,” he said.

Mr Brown has decided to stay away

The highlight of the two-day summit will be the launch of a “new strategic partnership” between the EU and Africa to tackle issues such as development, good governance, peace, security, migration, energy and climate change.

EU aid for improvements to roads, bridges, telecommunications is set to rise to 5.6bn euros in 2008-2013, up from 3.75bn in 2002-2007.

The EU will also be attempting to draw up a number of new trade agreements with individual African countries and regional blocs.

The World Trade Organization has set a deadline for the end of the year, after which the current preferential trade agreement between the EU and the 78-nation Africa, Caribbean and Pacific group will cease to operate.

But the head of the West African trade grouping told the BBC that the EU should extend its 31 December deadline to sign the new Economic Partnership Agreements.

Mohammed Ibn Chambas said many African countries were concerned that the agreements lacked balance.

East African countries have already signed up to the new deals.

Although Mr Brown is boycotting the summit, the UK will be represented by the former International Development Secretary, Baroness Amos.
[BBC]

President Mwanawasa has urged Zambians living abroad not to be complacent with their life in foreign countries but learn to invest in their home country.

The President was speaking at Zambia’s ambassador’s residence in Berling, Germany last night when he addressed Zambians resident in that Germany.The President said government did not want to see a situation of ‘A Phiri ana bwera,’ referring to a song by the late Nashil Pitchen of a man who came home empty handed after years of luxury life away.

He said government did not want such situations to happen to some of its nationals living abroad prevail hence his advice to them to invest back home.

“Always think of home. Send money and start constructing houses back home. We do not want to see a situation where you come back home with nothing after spending many years out of the country,” President Mwanawasa advised.

Dr Mwanawasa said he was aware that some Zambians abroad were reluctant to send money for fear of the money being misapplied by their relatives.

The President urged such people to utilise the services of institutions such as the Zambia National Building Society which would ensure that their investment were secure.

President Levy Mwanawasa also said he is disappointed at the failure by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to prosecute corruption cases on time.

Dr Mwanawasa says the crusade against corruption is well intended although no remarkable success has been recorded by the ACC so far.

He was responding to a question from a Zambian national on the effectiveness of the ACC in handling corruption cases.

President Mwanawasa said he regretted that the courts were taking exceedingly long to prosecute cases on plunder of the country´s economy.

“I am disappointed that the majority of these cases have now taken five years without being finished. I’m told that almost all these cases have now just reached midway. This is very sad indeed,” President Mwanawasa said.

The President said it was now apparent that the majority of the plunder cases may not be concluded by the time his tenure of office comes to an end in 2011.

He said government wanted the cases to be disposed of quickly so that those accused could be vindicated.

Dr Mwanawasa who has just concluded his official visit to Germany, said he failed to understand why it was taking long to finish the cases.

He however attributed the delays partly to unneccessary adjournments of corruption cases in the courts of law.

The President said the continued adjournments would complicate the cases as witnesses would die in the process or change their statements given at police stations due to passage of time.

“It is therefore extremely important that such cases are handled quickly to avoid these complications,” the President said.

He dispelled assertions that the fight against corruption was targeted at certain individuals saying instead that it was well intended and has gained the country a lot of respect.

Dr Mwanawasa also said his government has never interferred in the operations of the judiciary although it wanted timely conclusion of corruption cases currently pending in courts.

And Zambia´s ambassador to Germany General Kingsley Chinkuli told the Zambian community in Germany that the President’s visit to that country had been a great success.

General Chinkuli said since Germany was the third most industralised country in the world after the United States of America and Japan, President Mwanawasa´s visit would greatly benefit Zambia.

The ambassador said as a result of Dr Mwanawasa’s visit, the bilateral relations between Zambia and Germany had been raised to higher and stronger levels.

General Chinkuli commended Zambians living in Germany for travelling from different parts of Germany to meet the head of state.

President Mwanawasa today leaves Germany for Portugal to attend the Europe/Africa summit which opens tomorrow.

While in Germany, Dr Mwanaawasa held private talks with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Horst Kohler.

He also met Germany potential investors and the business community and urged them to consider investing in Zambia as the country offers an attractive investment climate.

President Levy Mwanawasa has described as unfortunate the decision by British Prime Minister Gorden Brown not to attend the European Union (EU)-Africa summit if Zimabwean leader Robert Mugabe will be invited for the meeting.

He said through his decision, Mr. Brown will deprive Britain’s chance to discuss any contentious issues it has with Zimbabwe during the Lisbon Summit.

Meanwhile, Germany and other European Union (EU) member states will attend this weekend’s Lisbon Summit in Portugal despite the decision by Britain to boycot the meeting.

President Mwanawasa said this in Berlin today during a press briefing after holding private talks with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Chancellery.

This was after Dr. Mwanawasa, who is also SADC Chairman, was officially welcomed with military honour at Dr. Merkel’s official residence.

Dr. Mwanawasa said solutions to any problems Britain had with Zimbabwe did not lie in boycotting the summit.

Dr. Mwanawasa said it was better for the British Prime Minister to attend the summit and raise all issues he had with Zimbabwe during the gathering of Eurpean and African heads of states.

The president was however happy that although Mr. Brown would personally not attend, Britain would be represented at the ministerial level.

He said the issue of Zimbabwe would be discussed at the Lisbon Summit but it would not be allowed to dorminante the summit.

Mr. Mwanawasa said he had decided to visit Germany because the country played a big role in the development of Zambia.

The President invited the private sector in Germany to come and invest in Zambia because the country was in a hurry to develop and needed people who would exploit its abundant natural resources.

He said the country needed investors who would partner with the local capital to excellerate development in the country.

Dr. Mwanawasa has since invited the Germany Chancellor to consider visting Zambia when she decides to come to Africa.

“Zambia is the real Africa. You cannot say that you have visited Africa if you have not visited Zambia,” Dr. Mwanawasa told the Germany Chancellor.

And speaking earlier, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel said President Mwanawasa’s official visit to her country has intensified the relationship between the two countries.

“Since Zambia is the current Chairman of SADC, this visit has intensified the relationship between SADC and the European Union and Zambia in particular,” Dr. Merkel said.

She described the relationship between Zambia and Germany as ‘very friendly’ and commended President Mwanawasa for visiting her country.

She reiterated that Germany and other EU countries would attend the EU/AU Summit this weekend.

Dr. Merkel said the AU/EU Summit which would be held in Portugal was very strategic to the interests of both the African Union and the EU.

Government has denied claims by second republican president Dr. Frederick Chiluba that it has instructed  three  parastatal companies to transfer their insurance  policies from Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZISC) to the privately owned Professional Insurance.

 

Finance and National Planning Minister Ngandu Magande disclosed that Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) decided to transfer its assets to Professional Insurance in 2004.

 

Mr. Magande told journalists in Lusaka today that government in 2004 decided to leave ZISC through a competitive tender process, which was undertaken, because the business by the insurance company was becoming uncompetitive.

 

The Minister stressed that in a liberalised state, it would be erroneous for government to command parastatal firms on how to conduct business.

 

Dr. Chiluba during a press conference at his Kabulonga residence claimed that President Mwanawasa’s government had directed Indeni Oil Refinery, Tanzania – Zambia (Tazama) Pipeline and ZESCO to transfer all their assets from ZSIC to Professional Insurance.

 

Mr. Magande said it was not right for the former Head of state to be talking about such matters now, whose decision was made three years ago.

 

He said ZESCO had just had a newly constituted board whose members he was not familiar with.

 

The Minister further denied allegations of instructing ministries and departments to move their bank accounts from Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO ) to a privately owed  financial institution.

 

He said the decision for the government to choose which financial institution to provide banking  services is made by the Secretary to the Treasury and controlling officers in  ministries and departments.

 

He said their chioce of the bank is based on the financial institution that is usually selected every year through an open tender .

 

He said the Auditor General, together with the Chief controlling officer and Bank of Zambia (BOZ) select from the tenders received, which banks should provide services in that particular period.

 

He said it is through those selected financial institutions that the chief controlling officer and his controlling officers would choose the bank which would be convenient to their operations.

 

Currently about seven local banks are providing banking services to various government ministries and departments.

 

These Include ZANACO, which has the majority of the government accounts, Finance Bank, Barclays Bank, Indo Zambia Bank, Citi Bank, First Alliance Bank and Stanbic Bank.

 

Mr. Magande said under the Public Financial Act CAP 349, the Secretary to the Treasury was responsible for government resources.

 

He said it is the reason why ministers do not appear before the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) as they have no idea as how the money is managed and utilised.

 

Mr. Magande said Dr. Chiluba might have not heard rightly when government stated that it would withdraw its money in commercial banks that was lying idle.

 

“what I am saying is  that I am denying ever instructing  ministries to transfer their money. Maybe what the former head of state did not hear correct was the announcement to withdraw government money in commercial banks that was lying idle,” he stressed.

 

 He said government wants to improve the management of the treasury hence the decision to ensure the funds which ministries are not utilising are kept in a special account at BOZ.

 

He said it was not the intention of the new deal government to run government affairs as was the case under Dr Chiluba’s regime.

 

Mr. Magande  has since challenged  Dr. Chiluba to avail audited reports for the year 1996 to 2001 to enable the public to compared with the current audit reports on the misappropriation of resources.