EU “arms-length? policy unacceptable, Belgium says

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Saturday 7 January 2006

GREAT LAKES: EU “arms-length? policy unacceptable, Belgium says


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NAIROBI, 3 Jul 2001 (IRIN) - Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has called on the European Union to pay greater attention to the central African countries. In a speech to members of the European Commission in Brussels on Monday to mark Belgium’s presidency of the EU, Verhofstadt said the EU countries must take a leading role in trying to resolve the conflicts in central Africa. Recalling his just-ended visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Verhofstadt said: “I would like to draw your attention in particular to the
development of coordinated action in that region [central Africa] at the political, diplomatic and economic levels.? “The region in question is being ravaged by a war involving much of the continent,? he said.

“Seven countries are engaged in the conflict, often switching sides, and the number of victims is estimated at
several million,? he went on. “From a political point of view, the Balkans and the Middle East may seem more important, but from a humanitarian angle, our hesitancy and arms-length policy vis-ŕ-vis the Great Lakes region in Africa is unacceptable.?

[ENDS]

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