JOHANNESBURG The extra-ordinary SADC summit on Zimbabwe and Madagascar continues here this afternoon, after the regional leaders adjourned last nights deliberations after 10pm. The summit, initially supposed to start at 5pm, began an hour later, after South Africas President Jacob Zuma, the SADCs point man in Zimbabwe, had first attended the burial of his countrys fallen heroin Albertina Sisulu, where he addressed the nation.
SADC Secretary-general, Thomas Salomao told the media last night that the summit would resume at about 3pm today, after giving way to the Comesa-EAC-SADC summit, which resumed this morning.
The FTA will consist of 26 countries located within SADC, the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for East African States (Comesa) regional economic communities.
We have leaders from other groupings that are not within SADC and these requested that we have dinner prepared for us by South Africas President Zuma, Salomao told reporters during a press briefing at the venue.
On Sunday, we will first hold the tripartite negotiations for the free trade area in the morning, after which the leaders will meet at around 3pm to resume discussions on Madagascar and then Zimbabwe. I can assure you that the leaders will not leave this place without first finishing those issues because that is what they have committed to.
Zimbabwes Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara left for Harare yesterday to attend the burial of Edgar Tekere, but Salomao expressed hope that the disposed leader of the smaller MDC formation could still re-join the discussion.
According to SADC chairman, Hipfekunye Pohamba, the summit is deliberating on three reports two on Zimbabwe and one on Madagascar.
On Zimbabwe, the summit will look at the Troika resolutions reached on March 31 in Livingstone, Zambia and a report from SADC envoys that were sent to the headquarters of Britain, United States and the European Union to advocate for the removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe, said Salomao.
Post published in: News