Brussels, 02/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, is visiting Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan from 2 to 6 April. In each of these countries, he will look at peace and security issues, development problems and EU humanitarian aid programmes. The Commissioner last visited the Horn of Africa back in October 2000.
In Ethiopia, where he arrived on Wednesday, Mr Nielson will meet Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the interim President and Commissioners of the African Union (AU), and sign an EU-funded, 12m-euro programme to support the AU in its peace initiatives.
In Eritrea on 3 April, Mr Nielson will meet President Isaias. He will look at progress on EU-Asmara co-operation, as well as various other important political and economic dossiers, especially the current food and humanitarian crisis and the peace process with Ethiopia.
The Commissioner will also be discussing this with Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, the special representative of the UN Secretary General to the UNMEE (United Nations Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea).
Finally, on his visit to Sudan, beginning on 4 April, Poul Nielson will get an overview of the positions taken by the parties involved in the peace process and of the country's humanitarian situation, in government- and opposition-controlled zones. The EU is strongly committed to the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) peace process and will support the post-conflict rebuilding of Sudan. The signing of the peace agreement will allow normalisation of EU-Sudanese relations and for development co-operation to start again. In the meantime, the EU has decided to make an immediate start on the technical design of programmes to be funded once co-operation has begun again. On the trip, the Commissioner will also meet political leaders, from the governmental majority and the opposition, NGOs, UN agencies, as well as civil society and private sector representatives. He will also travel to the South, to the site of a humanitarian project in the field of health.