Lisbon, 11/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The President of the European Council Antonio Guterres, Portuguese Prime Minister, confirmed the positive outcome of the talks Mr. Jaime Gama and M. Javier Solana had in Algeria and Morocco, to prepare the EU/Africa Summit (see yesterday's EUROPEp.7) Mr. Guterres confirmed that, under these conditions, the Summit would be held in Cairo on 3 and 4 April. The announcement is not official, as certain details still need ironing out in forthcoming preparatory talks (the first in Pretoria, South Africa, on 22 February); but politically, the situation is no longer deadlocked as a compromise was found over contentious issues between the Presidency of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU (Algeria), Morocco (not part of the OAU) and the organising country (Egypt). Morocco will participate in the Summit, whereas the Sahari Republic (created by the Polisario Front, and member of the OAU) will not.
Aspects relating to the agenda and the follow-up to the Summit will be discussed at the aforementioned meetings.