NAIROBI, 8 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - A summit of Africa's Great Lakes countries due in December has been postponed due to delays in the holding of general elections in Tanzania and a constitutional referendum in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the body organising the meeting said on Tuesday.
The summit organiser, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, chaired jointly by the UN and African Union, said: "It is expected that these events will contribute towards the overall success of the second summit."
The DRC and Tanzania are to take part in the meeting due to be held in Nairobi, Kenya.
At their first summit in November 2004 in Tanzania, heads of state signed the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Peace Security, Democracy & Development on the Great Lakes Region. Since then, experts from participating countries have been trying to implement the declaration by creating various regional protocols and projects.
Heads of state are expected to approve the protocols and projects during their second summit also to be attended by Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia.