Panafrican News Agency

Francophonie Organization sticks to Kinshasa summit

Paris, France (PANA) - The International Francophonie Organization (OIF) has reaffirmed that its14th summit will take place as scheduled on 13-14 October in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This is despite uncertainties about the participation of the new French president François Hollande and the Belgian Prime minister, Elio di Rupo.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the 85th session of its permanent council, OIF said it had noted "satisfactory breakthroughs" in the preparations of the Kinshasa summit whose theme is "Francophonie: Environmental and economic stakes in the face of global governance."

"Representatives of the francophone community meeting ...reiterated their commitment to and mobilisation for the smooth holding of this first francophonie summit in central Africa," the representatives of OIF heads of state and government said.

Several appeals have been made in the past few days by opposition parties and civil society organizations in DRC for the relocation of the Kinshasa summit to protest against last November's controversial parliamentary and presidential elections.

Advocates of the shift of venue point at the repeated human rights violations in DRC, including the assassinations of human rights activists and journalists.
-0- PANA SEI/TBM/IBA/PAP/MA 28June2012