Brussels, 22/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - In a press release on 21 January, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton hailed the election of Catherine Samba-Panza the previous day to the post of transitional president by the national transition council of the Central African Republic (CAR). “This election is an important first step towards restoring the CAR's authorities, which are charged with leading the transition process to an end”, Ashton says. She calls on Samba-Panza to appoint a new prime minister quickly and a government which can focus on addressing the challenges the country is facing.
Ashton also calls on “all forces active in the country to show responsibility and to engage constructively, and in good faith, in a political process that might contribute to the reconciliation and the re-establishment of social cohesion” in the CAR. She reiterates the EU's support for inclusive dialogue, representing the actors and involving participative processes in order to guide the transition phase. Ashton states that the EU “is ready to work with the new government to re-establish order, rebuild the state and provide humanitarian aid to the people” (see EUROPE 11000) - (our translation throughout). (OL/transl.fl)