British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has lauded the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) as the epitome of multilateralism, which would result in a peaceful and prosperous continent.
Giving a lecture at the University of South Africa in Pretoria on Wednesday on ‘the future of multilateralism’, Straw said Nepad’s ideals of good governance and partnerships would attract trade and investment into the continent.
‘Nepad’s logic is straightforward. It recognises that if Africa is to thrive, then its future must be founded on the universal values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These are the real attractors and multipliers of trade, investment and success,’ Straw said.
Nepad is the socio-economic recovery plan of the African Union (AU). Straw welcomed the commitment of African leaders to bring peace in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He pledged his country’s support for these initiatives.
‘In Congo, in particular, South African leadership has helped broker a peace deal. Britain welcomes the advent of the Transitional Government in Kinshasa and we are ready to do what we can to support it,’ he said.
The DRC is currently on the road to peace after signing a peace accord that ended decades of power struggles in the country.
The new DRC peace accord stipulates that all parties would share power, including cabinet posts. This saw President Joseph Kabila being joined by four vice-presidents drawn from his party and representatives of the Ugandan backed Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC), the Rwandan backed Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), and opposition politicians.
President Kabila was sworn in last month to start his new term of office.
Commenting on the Middle East crisis, Straw said ending the misery of Israelis and Palestinians should be a top priority of multi-lateral systems.
He said the United Nations should ensure that both parties adhere to the Middle East ‘Road Map’ and UN resolutions, which set clear obligations on both parties to end hostilities. The Middle East ‘Road Map,’ which was developed by a quartet that includes the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union, aims to settle the conflict between Israel and Palestine through parallel steps, culminating in the establishment of two sovereign states by 2005.
It provides the best mechanism to address the growing deterioration and hopelessness in the region. ‘If we resolve that (Middle East crisis) we would be doing enough for the future harmony of the rest of the world,” Straw added. – I-Net Bridge