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LONDON, 24 NOVEMBER 2003

Summit after Summit (St Malo, Cahors, Le Touquet), Franco-British co-operation in Africa has been translated progressively into actions. Our two countries are convinced that their common vision and action can, at the heart of the European Union, contribute to peace and security, the reinforcement of democracy and good governance, poverty reduction and the development of the continent.

Globalisation, Development and the Doha Round

Our support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) was strongly reaffirmed at the Evian G8 Summit and made concrete in November by the launch of the African Partnership Forum. As agreed at Le Touquet, a conference was held in April in Paris to improve the co-ordination of the activities of the international financial institutions.

Our two countries, which are among the leading donors to Africa, confirm their intent to increase their assistance to the continent. They commit themselves to strengthen together the coherence of their Africa policy in the diplomatic, development and security spheres. With this in mind, the activities of our two countries' development programmes will be concerted in a more systematic way between the relevant authorities. To this end, with a view to the next summit, an action plan proposing specific measures will be agreed. These will, for example, address the Great Lakes region, in particular the DRC; and measures to enhance international action on HIV/AIDS, education and access to water.

Africa's development depends on its integration into globalisation. This question should be addressed particularly at the WTO in the context of the Doha Development Agenda, to the achievement of which France and Great Britain reaffirm their support. In this regard, the two countries support initiatives aimed at improving the situation of African agricultural producers.

Taking account of the vital social and economic importance of cotton for the countries concerned, we are working to reduce significantly levels of market distortions and for better integration of African producers into the world market.

France and Great Britain reaffirm their support for the International Financing Facility (IFF), the British initiative aimed at financing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

Conflict Prevention and Peace Building, support for strengthening African capacity and mediation

Our two countries reaffirm that peace and security are essential conditions for development. The Africans have reaffirmed clearly their wish to take responsibility for peace on their continent. We therefore need to back their activities.
With this in mind, Britain and France support the African Union and the early establishment of the Peace and Security Council and a conflict prevention and management mechanism. They reaffirm in particular their support for the joint Africa/G8 Plan agreed at Evian to enhance African capacities. Britain and France affirm their intent to reinforce their efforts to help the African Union and African regional organisations implement this plan. They encourage other partners to do the same.

To deliver this objective, they support the initiative of the European Commission, presented at the Maputo Summit, to utilise the European Development Fund (EDF) to establish a Peace Facility For Africa.

They support African mediation and the efforts to prevent and manage conflicts led by the AU and the regional organisations. For example: South Africa in Zimbabwe, where the deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation is worrying; ECOWAS in Côte d'Ivoire, with the action led by the current Ghanaian Presidency; CEMAC (Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa) in the Central African Republic, where progress made will allow the urgent restart of donor activity; IGAD in Sudan, where the steps achieved to reach an agreement have our support. They welcome in Burundi the action of AMIB (African Mission in Burundi), the peacekeeping operation led by the AU.

With the aim of reinforcing African peacekeeping capacity, France and Great Britain agree (i) to reinforce co-operation between the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana and the Peacekeeping School in Mali, (ii) to pursue their support for ECOWAS in this area, in particular through the sustained provision of British and French military experts at ECOWAS HQ in Abuja, (iii) to co-operate closely on the peacekeeping training exercise RECAMP IV, organised by France in Ghana and Benin in 2004, (iv) to look for opportunities to co-operate between themselves and with African partners in security sector reform.

Our two countries welcome the success of Operation Artemis in Bunia. They affirm their readiness to support further EU peace support operations in Africa, as mentioned in the separate Franco-British declaration on the strengthening of European co-operation in the field of security and defence.

Regional Issues

Our two countries consider that the regional dimension of conflicts in Africa must be taken into account in the search for solutions to conflicts in Africa, while respecting national sovereignty and the inviolability of frontiers.

Having in mind the coherence of action led by the United Nations in Liberia and Sierra Leone, our two countries support the deployment in Ivory Coast of a UN peacekeeping force which, in parallel with the presence of France, would sustain the stabilisation effort begun by ECOWAS to support the implementation of the Marcoussis Accords. They are following closely the situation in Guinea.

On Zimbabwe, they reaffirm their full support for the EU common position agreed on 18 February 2002 in response to violations of human rights and freedoms.

Our two countries support the transitional institutions in DRC, welcome the progress represented by the conclusion of a ceasefire in Burundi, give particular importance to the question of security guarantees for the former belligerent countries, and agree to work together for the full success of the international conference on the Great Lakes organised jointly by the AU and the UN. They underline in this regard the broader importance of launching at an early stage an efficient and co-ordinated process of demobilisation and reintegration in the Great Lakes, as in other regions, co-ordinated on the part of the donors.

The two Ministers plan to undertake in the first half of 2004 a joint visit to the Great Lakes to underline their firm support for peace and reconciliation in the region, and the common vision which inspires the concerted action of our two countries in the region.

New Challenges

Our two countries agree to develop close consultation on the regional dynamics of conflicts as well as on horizontal questions critical in the analysis of conflicts and the search for solutions: the fight against organised crime and terrorism, the post-conflict process, child soldiers, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and the illegal trafficking of natural resources.

Concerning the trafficking of arms, they agree to support initiatives aimed at reinforcing and widening controls in Africa.

On certain of these themes, joint studies are already under way which will produce operational conclusions aimed at reinforcing our co-operation in European and multilateral fora.