Ecowas Scribe Worries Over UNDP Report Vanguard (Lagos) July 29, 2002 EXECUTIVE Secretary of ECOWAS, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has expressed concern about the latest UNDP report in which most of the 15 member states were rated among the last 14 countries on the indices of development. "The report showed we have to work hard to improve the standard of living of our people, opening the space for investment and trade to boost our economies," he told the Deputy Commander of the US European Command, General Carlton Fulford, who led an 11-member US delegation to the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja. He said the sub-region had been actively engaged in the promotion of peace, security and stability, which are critical ingredients for ensuring an atmosphere conducive for the realization of the objectives of socio- economic integration being pursued by the organization. He paid tribute to the US European Command for installing a $5.3 million satellite communication network for ECOWAS that will enable its tour observation and monitoring bureaus to be linked with the central operations center at the Secretariat in Abuja. The bureaux each of which covers a group of countries, are located in Banjul, Cotonou, Monrovia and Ouagadougou. The observatories, which took off with funding from the European Union, is an important aspect of the ECOWAS mechanism for conflict prevention, management, resolution, peacekeeping and security. Dr Chambas called for additional US assistance for the training of troops dedicated in each member state to ECOMOG operations. He told the delegation, which included the US ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Howard Jeter, that the sub-region was working on establishing regional training centres in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria as part of its objective of harmonizing the training of these troops. He also said the two logistic bases proposed for ECOMOG operations in the sub-region will help support military and humanitarian operations in member states and that a joint military delegation from the United Kingdom, US and France was due at the Secretariat this week to discuss areas of collaboration with ECOWAS. Responding to concerns raised by General Fulford, the executive secretary said ECOWAS has been actively engaged with the problem of terrorism and that its Chairman, President Abdoulaye Wade, hosted a meeting in Dakar last year on the issue after the summit in the Senegalese capital. He pledged that ECOWAS will collaborate with the US to stamp out elements engaged in terrorism, saying everybody has a responsibility to help address this cancer that "targets humanity" without consideration for the nationalities of their victims. In his response, General Fulford pledged US assistance for the training of regional peacekeeping troops. He said the command, control, communication and computer project installed for the community will enhance its capability in maintaining peace and there were possibilities for expanding its potentials to further enhance this capacity. He said the US will adapt its assistance to the sub-region to the needs of the Secretariat and member state. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~