LAUNCHING OF ECOWAS COMMISSION TO SPEED-UP INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT ECOWAS Heads of States and government lauded the transformation of the Executive Secretariat into a Commission, as well as the restructuring of the Institutions of ECOWAS with a view to making our organs more efficient to enable them fully play their role in the integration and development process of the region and to better adapt to the international environment. The Authority adopted reports focused on the ECOWAS regional integration and cooperation programmes, institutional issues, regional peace and security. The Summit discussed the issue of migration which is a major source of concern to West Africa, particularly as it involves youths, the most active members of a country. The Heads of State and Government agreed that it should be approached through a concerted regional standpoint and that special attention should be given to the development dimension in order to resolve the poverty problem which encourages emigration. They decided to establish an adequate fund to meet the development needs of Member States. Regarding the current Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations between West Africa and the European Commission, the Authority stressed that it should help reduce poverty while taking into account the development dimension, notably in capacity building, improvement of the competitiveness and upgrading of our economies. To give greater credibility to the second monetary zone and to the realization of the ECOWAS single currency, Heads of State and Government urged Member States to redouble efforts to comply with the macro-economic convergence criteria through strict budgetary discipline and structural reforms. The Authority expressed concern over the numerous obstacles still existing along West African highways and at the borders of ECOWAS Member States. It expressed satisfaction at the decision of the Council of Ministers to establish pilot units on the Lagos-Cotonou, Lomé-Accra, Abidjan-Ouagadougou, and Bamako-Conakry and axes and to create a central coordination and monitoring bureau. The Summit urged Member States to take all necessary measures to implement the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Establishment. Heads of State and Government expressed delight at the establishment of a regional structure for the prevention and control of bird flu in West Africa. On telecommunications, the Summit adopted a regional telecommunications policy and a regulatory framework covering specific areas, such as interconnection to ICT and services networks, license regimes, management of the radio frequency spectrum. With regard to infrastructure and their importance in the integration and development of West African economies, the Authority directed the ECOWAS Commission to accord priority to the development of this sector and to ensure the completion of the remaining portions of the international highways, the interconnection of railway networks with standard gauge. This objective will be achieved, among other things, through policy harmonization in the infrastructural sector. The Authority urged all Member States to implement all decisions relating to this objective. Concerning the energy programme, the remarkable progress made in the construction of the West African Gas pipeline was noted with satisfaction. The Heads of State further acknowledged the positive evolution in the establishment of the Power Pool system, charged with linking electricity grids of the Member States with a view to eliminating the energy deficits within the region. ECOWAS Heads of State and Government reviewed the security situation in the region. Concerning Côte d’Ivoire, they expressed deep concern over the persistent crisis and stressed the need to find a lasting solution based on immediate and concomitant launching of citizen identification and disarmament programmes. These will create the necessary conditions for the organisation of credible elections by October 2007. They welcomed the initiative of President Gbagbo for direct dialogue with the Ministre d’Etat Guillaume Soro in order to give impetus to the peace process. They decided in consultation with the African Union to send a high level delegation to the UN Security Council to ensure diligent implementation of Resolution 1721, depending on the outcome of the dialogue. The Authority called the UN Security Council to visit Côte d’Ivoire to add impetus to the peace process. The Heads of State and Government expressed concern about the deepening crisis in Guinea. They called on the in-coming Chairman to dispatch a delegation to Guinea for consultation with all political stakeholders with the view to encouraging the use of dialogue and non violent means to resolve their differences. Concerning Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo, where reconstruction efforts are well under way, the Authority expressed satisfaction over the trend of events in these post-conflict countries. It also commended the role played by the United Nations and development partners in the consolidation of the peace process in Liberia and Sierra Leone. They expressed delight at the extension of the UN Mission in Liberia up to the end of March 2007 and hoped that the gradual withdrawal of UN troops would be possible with the improved security situation and the progress recorded in security sector reforms. It invited development partners to support Guinea Bissau in its recovery efforts, while urging the Guinea Bissau authorities to stand by their commitment to make every effort to improve the economic situation in their country. The Summit also expressed satisfaction at the normalization of the political situation in Togo, with the establishment of an expanded government of national unity. The Heads of State and Government expressed satisfaction at the success of the inter-Togolese dialogue and called upon the international community to support the effort of Togo to hold legislative elections in 2007 and the economic programme of the government. While observing that presidential and/or legislative elections are scheduled to take place in a number of Member States in 2007, the Authority called on the ECOWAS Commission to give the countries concerned the necessary support for the conduct of these elections. Heads of State and Government adopted the lyrics of the ECOWAS Anthem. The Summit elected President Blaise Compaoré as Chairman of ECOWAS.