SADC executive secretary Tomaz Salomao, speaking to Mozambican reporters in Lusaka, on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of most of the regional leaders and said that this summit will address issues discussed in both SADC extraordinary summits in Midrand, in South Africa, in October 2006, and in and Dar es Salaam, last March.
According to, the Midrand summit focused on economic issues that will pave the way for regional integration, more precisely the new Free Trade Area, that is to come into force in January 2008, and later the Customs Union, the Common Market, and the Monetary Union.
"We have been looking into deadlines of each stage for the implementation of the new Common Market, to assess if they are realistic and feasible", explained Salomao.
As for regional integration, a group report is expected to be presented during the summit on the progress of Midrand Summit decisions. The report was compiled by a group of Finance and Trade Ministers and and the SADC Secretariat.
This will be followed by an assessment of the current stage of the regional integration and debates on the initiative for the establishment of a new regional development fund.
As for the Dar es Salaam meeting, the attention is focused on the South African President Thabo Mbaki's report on the process, who has been tasked by SADC to mediate the Zimbabwean crisis between the ruling party ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Changes (MDC).
"From Mbeki's report, the Summit will draw recommendations on how the region could assist Zimbabwe to overcome the economic and political problems that the country is facing", said Salomao.
Within the region there are still imbalances in terms of the level of implementation of reforms to ease integration. Some of the countries of the region have managed to improve their infrastructures and services, having also introduced some changes in terms of institutions and governance, which played a great deal for the attraction of foreign investment to the region, particularly from China.
During the summit, the member countries will officially launch the SADC Stand by Force.
This is the first time that Zambia is hosting an SADC Summit and the country's President, Levi Patrick Mwanawasa, will take over the rotative presidency of this regional body from Sutho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.
SOURCE: AIM
