Panafrican News Agency

14th Francophone summit to be dominated by African crisis - Official

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) – The 14th summit of the international francophone organization (OIF) due to open on Monday in the Democratic Republic of Congo will pay attention to the crisis in francophone countries, according to Ousmane Paye, special adviser of OIF secretary-general, Abdou Diouf.

He said the crisis in the francophone space had already been discussed in the Francophone Permanent Council (CPF) and the OIF foreign ministers meeting.

“The crises will be the subject of closed door talks by heads of state during the meting. They will talk frankly. We naturally intend to tackle the situation in eastern DR Congo. Our intention is to get Congo and Rwanda closer, two member countries of the Francophone family,” he said in a press briefing in Kinshasa on Thursday.

Mr Paye said that the crisis in northern Mali would also be tackled during the summit which would be attended by a high-powered UN delegation chaired by the managing director of the UN educational, scientific and cultural organization, Irina Bokova.

“The heads of State and government will also discuss the the situation in Mali. We will seize the opportunity presented by the presence of the UN delegation to discuss the whole issue of the situation in northern Mali,” Mr Paye said.

He said about 26 heads of State and government were expected for that summit, the first of its kind in Central Africa.

The summit would examine the place of the French language in the world and how to promote the economic component of Francophonie.
-0- PANA SEI/JSG/IBA/MSA/MA 11Oct2012