AU praises outcome of 3 African economic blocs conference in Egypt

The 25th African Union Summit has praised the outcome of the three African economic blocs, namely; the COMESA, SADC and EAC, conference held in Sharm El Sheikh several days ago with the participation of nearly 26 countries, said a communiqué issued at the end of the African summit in South Africa on Monday.

The AU leaders praised a tripartite Free Trade Area agreement signed during the three African economic blocs’s conference, saying it was a great achievement towards integration in the African continent.

The AU summit voiced support for peaceful settlement of Arab-Israeli conflict, condemning Israeli remarks rejecting a two-state solution.

The African leaders slammed the continuation of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands and a freeze imposed by Israel on the Palestinian funds.

The gathering called on the international community to stop settlement construction in Palestinian territories, release all prisoners and lift siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

The African summit called on Israel to withdraw from all occupied Arab lands and return to pre-June 1967 borders, including the Golan Heights and occupied lands in southern Lebanon.

As for a report submitted by the security and peace council, the summit voiced concern for stalled peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia, calling for taking the necessary initiatives to overcome challenges and end the crisis.

The summit reiterated support for national dialogue initiative in Sudan, urging stakeholders to work for rendering the initiative success.

The African gathering urged all parties in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile to stop all hostile acts, expressing concern for the deterioration of humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

As for the latest developments in Libya, the summit voiced deep concern for the worsening crisis in Libya, stressing the necessity to continue efforts to fight against the scourge of terrorism.

The summit called for an end to the Libyan crisis, rejecting a military option to end the conflict.

The summit also condemned all terrorist acts committed in Africa by Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Shabab in Somalia and Kenya along with several terrorist groups in North Africa.

The summit called on member states to provide annual reports to the Peace and Security Council about measures taken to fight terrorism.

As for the Ebola outbreak, the summit called for forming an African team of health workers to deploy during the outbreak of diseases.

The summit decided to hold the coming session in Addis Ababa under the rubric “2016 the year of Human Rights with Focus on Women’s Rights.”