Club vows to combat terror
Photo| PPS
President Kibaki greets South African President Jacob Zuma during the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government summit in Perth, Australia.
What you need to know:
- Commonwealth Heads of State and Government agree to flush out pirates and cut funding to extremist groups
Commonwealth leaders on Sunday urged the international community to raise funds to strengthen the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and other State institutions to contain piracy off the East African Coastline.
The Heads of State and Government emphasised that piracy in the Indian Ocean cannot be effectively tackled without political stability and security in Somalia.
Maritime security
In a communiqué released during the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government meeting in Perth, Western Australia, the leaders encouraged appropriate funding to the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and global support in enhancing maritime security.
The Commonwealth leaders committed themselves to combating proliferation and trafficking of illicit small arms while embracing moderation as an important value to overcome all forms of extremism.
The leaders, who included President Kibaki, also resolved to implement the necessary legal frameworks for the suppression of terrorist financing.
In the communiqué issued at the closing ceremony of the summit by the host, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, heads of government affirmed their resolve for a stable and secure national and international environment.
They committed themselves to unequivocally prevent the use of their territories for the support, incitement to violence or commission of terrorist acts and use of funds by terrorists, terrorist fronts and transnational terrorist organisations.
“ Commonwealth leaders will maintain their commitment to a stable and secure national and international environment, as a foundation for sustainable growth and resilience of the Commonwealth countries and the broader international community,” the Communique read.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang’ula met ministers from 16 countries that are served by the India Ocean and briefed them on the situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
Best practices
They underscored the need to decisively deal with piracy in the Indian Ocean and stabilise Somalia.
Other areas that received special attention during the summit included best practices on resource management, access to research and education.
