DOHA, November 30 – President Mwai Kibaki on Sunday called on the United Nations to take a front line role in mobilising leaders and resources to tackle problems currently facing the Africa region and the world.
At a meeting in Doha, Qatar, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, President Kibaki said that the problems of instability in financial markets, high energy costs and the resulting high food prices must be addressed through concerted efforts by the community.
The Head of State said the UN should also help coordinate efforts aimed at stabilising global food prices and ensuring on efficient movement of food from surplus to deficit nations.
President Kibaki and the UN Secretary General expressed concern at the deteriorating security situation in Somalia that had led to increased piracy in the Indian Ocean.
President Kibaki requested the UN to support a regional meeting called in Nairobi to discuss piracy on December 9, noting that the problem had greatly destabilised the movement of vessels carrying essential supplies to Ports along the Indian Ocean.
The President also briefed Ban Ki-Moon on challenges Kenya was facing because of the influx of the refugees to Kenya due to the instability in Somalia.
President Kibaki said Kenya was ready to assist Somalia tackle the challenges facing the country and called on the leadership of that country to resolve their differences, unite and address the serious challenges facing their country.
President Kibaki who is also the Chairman of the Great lakes Conference, briefed the UN Secretary General on regional efforts to resolve the crisis in Eastern Congo. The two leaders called for a continuation in the cessation of hostilities to give dialogue a chance among the concerned parties.
The U.N Secretary General thanked President Kibaki for his leadership during the Nairobi Special Summit on Congo.
President Kibaki also held separate talks with the President of Croatia Stjepan Stipe Mesić and Sudan’s President Omar el-Bashir.
The talks focused on bilateral issues of concern to their respective countries.
During the talks held at Doha, President Bashir assured President Kibaki that plans to provide Kenya with oil at concessional rate are on.
President Bashir will be sending his Energy Minister to Kenya to conclude the matter.
President Bashir also assured President Kibaki that implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was underway.
Kenya will appoint a special envoy to the CPA evaluation and implementation Committee.
The two leaders agreed that Kenya, Sudan and Uganda Governments will work together to deal with the problem of cattle rustling in the region.
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