Mixed Euro-African think tank on security

From Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent, Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Dec. 8, GNA - Participants at a "Peace and Security Conference" on West Africa, have proposed the setting up of a mixed Euro-African think tank to promote common responses to deal with any new threats likely to affect the stability of the continent. The main objective they said, would be to come out with the framework and measures to promote a common policy to help out fragile African states or those in difficulty, taking into account the socio-economic and humanitarian dimensions of human security. Additionally, they called for a link between the Continental Early Warning System planned by the African Union (AU) and the ECOWAS Warning and Response System.

These were contained in a declaration presented to the EU-Africa summit held in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, on Saturday, which was co-chaired by President John Agyekum Kufuor, AU Chairman and Mr Jose Socrates, Prime Minister of Portugal, whose country holds the EU Presidency.

The conference that came out with the declaration was organised by the ECOWAS, the sub-Regional body, in cooperation with the European and African Conflict Prevention Centre.

It expressed indignation and rejection of violence of all types directed at women and young girls, the use of women as weapons of war as well as their exclusion from bodies and institutions at all levels. The declaration called for reform of education and training practices and policies to reflect the culture of peace and genuine African values.

Another area of concern, it said was climate change and the emergence of inter-community conflicts connected with the sharing of access to natural resources. Flowing from the unprecedented floods that hit hundreds of thousands of people across the sub-region, it asked ECOWAS, the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel and the International Secretariat of International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, to intensify efforts to hold series of sub-regional meetings on the subject.

Mr Djibrill Yipene Bassole, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of Burkina Faso and the Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs, Ursula Plassnik, jointly presented the declaration to the summit.