Kagame invited for CHOGM
Oct 16, 2007
UGANDA has invited Rwanda as its “special guest†to the Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) next month.
By Cyprian Musoke
UGANDA has invited Rwanda as its “special guest†to the Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) next month.
Addressing a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign affairs yesterday, the permanent secretary, Ambassador James Mugume, said the gesture was intended to aid Rwanda’s bid to join the Commonwealth.
Rwanda applied to join the group with some other francophone countries, and their applications are due for consideration in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.
“If a country hosts CHOGM, it is given an opportunity to invite their special guest who is not a member of the fraternity.
“The President chose to invite Rwanda’s leader Paul Kagame as a means of showing our support for Rwanda joining the commonwealth and becoming familiar with its operations,†Mugume said.
He added that Rwanda had contributed $50,000 (about sh85m) towards the hosting of the business forum, which Kagame will address on business opportunities in the region.
Mugume said membership was initially a reserve of Anglophone countries, but had been extended to countries like Mozambique and Cameroon. Rwanda and Madagascar are the others that had applied to join.
The ambassador said some members were still opposed to the admission of non-Anglophone countries, fearing that the fraternity will lose its fundamental values.
On the contrary, Mugume said, Zimbabwe, which opted out of the Commonwealth in Abuja in 2003, was not welcome at the summit until 2009 when their membership will be reviewed in Trinidad and Tobago.
“The question of Zimbabwe being welcome does not arise. Once you quit the club you can only re-apply. Zimbabwe cannot re-apply this year because in 2005, it was decided that their membership be reviewed after a report that will establish the process and criteria of admissions,†he said.
The heads of state, Mugume revealed, will also appoint a new secretary general to take over from Don Mckinnon. The two contenders for the post are, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK Kamalesh Sharma and Maltese foreign minister Michael Frendo.
The new secretary general will appoint a deputy when Florence Mugasha’s tenure expires in April next year.
Mugume said the Kampala summit will discuss promotion of common political values like democracy, human rights, good governance and separation of powers.
Also to be discussed are global economic issues, climate change and ‘adding political weight’ to decreasing carbon emissions, he added.
According to Mugume, the summit will also discuss agricultural and trade subsidies, promotion of tolerance, understanding and respect to ease tension between Christian and Arab states.
“This underpins the issue of terrorism. We shall try to use the commonwealth to create an understanding of each other and a civil path to peace between Islamic and non-Islamic states.â€
The commonwealth fraternity is divided into the developed countries, the newly industrialised and small peasant countries, Mugume noted.
“The commonwealth will form a microcosm for others to learn.
“It will come up with the Kampala declaration for the achievement of political and economic transformation,†said Mugume.
UGANDA has invited Rwanda as its “special guest†to the Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) next month.
Addressing a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign affairs yesterday, the permanent secretary, Ambassador James Mugume, said the gesture was intended to aid Rwanda’s bid to join the Commonwealth.
Rwanda applied to join the group with some other francophone countries, and their applications are due for consideration in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.
“If a country hosts CHOGM, it is given an opportunity to invite their special guest who is not a member of the fraternity.
“The President chose to invite Rwanda’s leader Paul Kagame as a means of showing our support for Rwanda joining the commonwealth and becoming familiar with its operations,†Mugume said.
He added that Rwanda had contributed $50,000 (about sh85m) towards the hosting of the business forum, which Kagame will address on business opportunities in the region.
Mugume said membership was initially a reserve of Anglophone countries, but had been extended to countries like Mozambique and Cameroon. Rwanda and Madagascar are the others that had applied to join.
The ambassador said some members were still opposed to the admission of non-Anglophone countries, fearing that the fraternity will lose its fundamental values.
On the contrary, Mugume said, Zimbabwe, which opted out of the Commonwealth in Abuja in 2003, was not welcome at the summit until 2009 when their membership will be reviewed in Trinidad and Tobago.
“The question of Zimbabwe being welcome does not arise. Once you quit the club you can only re-apply. Zimbabwe cannot re-apply this year because in 2005, it was decided that their membership be reviewed after a report that will establish the process and criteria of admissions,†he said.
The heads of state, Mugume revealed, will also appoint a new secretary general to take over from Don Mckinnon. The two contenders for the post are, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK Kamalesh Sharma and Maltese foreign minister Michael Frendo.
The new secretary general will appoint a deputy when Florence Mugasha’s tenure expires in April next year.
Mugume said the Kampala summit will discuss promotion of common political values like democracy, human rights, good governance and separation of powers.
Also to be discussed are global economic issues, climate change and ‘adding political weight’ to decreasing carbon emissions, he added.
According to Mugume, the summit will also discuss agricultural and trade subsidies, promotion of tolerance, understanding and respect to ease tension between Christian and Arab states.
“This underpins the issue of terrorism. We shall try to use the commonwealth to create an understanding of each other and a civil path to peace between Islamic and non-Islamic states.â€
The commonwealth fraternity is divided into the developed countries, the newly industrialised and small peasant countries, Mugume noted.
“The commonwealth will form a microcosm for others to learn.
“It will come up with the Kampala declaration for the achievement of political and economic transformation,†said Mugume.