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Lead ers of 11 central African countries yesterday wrapped up a summit meeting in the Republic of Congo capital at which they agreed to set up a free trade zone in their subregion by the end of 2007.

The heads of state and other high-ranking government representatives at the two-day meeting of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) also agreed to implement Africa's home-spun economic rescue plan, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad); step up the fight against Aids, and promote equality of the sexes, declarations a statement issued at the end of the summit said.

"We, the heads of state and government of CEEAC, declare the launch as of July 1, 2004 of a programme, the means and the calendar of a free trade zone and will do our utmost to achieve the objective of a fully operational free trade zone by December 31, 2007," said a declaration read out at the closing ceremony of the meeting by Congo's Trade Minister Adelaide Moundele-Ngollo.

Under the free trade zone, "economic operators in CEEAC member states and foreign investors would have a dynamic and attractive regional market of 100-million consumers, which would promote the immense potential of the region".

In a speech to open the summit on Monday, Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso urged leaders to speed up regional integration to help shed central Africa's image as the continent's weakest link.

"In the 11 countries in our community, seven have seen conflict, which has made our region the one (in Africa) with the largest number of refugees and displaced persons," said the Congolese leader.

Central Africa has to get back on its feet "so that we are no longer spoken of only to describe hostilities, misfortune and horror," he said.

CEEAC fell dormant during most of the 1990s, but member states declared they would revitalise the community at a summit in 1998 in Libreville.

Sassou Nguesso was elected head of the grouping in June 2002 and vowed to drag CEEAC out of its state of hibernation.

"CEEAC has come out of its state of lethargy," he said Monday.

"CEEAC is now in the process of reaching its cruising speed. We need to keep up this rhythm so our area stops being the weak link of regional integration".

The fight against Aids, both at national and regional levels, was given "high priority" status by leaders at the summit.

CEEAC would be "at the forefront of the fight against HIV/Aids through mobilisation and prevention campaigns," the summiteers said.

"We have decided to adopt a strategic framework and plan of action for 2004-2005 to fight against Aids in central Africa and to take immediate steps for tax and customs duty exemptions with a view to reducing the cost of (Aids) medication," said the closing statement.

The summiteers asked the United Nations' Aids agency, Unaids, to "support CEEAC member states in their bid to raise the necessary resources".

Numerous conflicts in CEEAC member states in the past decade have made Aids prevention efforts difficult.

CEEAC groups Angola, the theatre until April last year of Africa's longest civil war; Burundi, where a 10-year civil war appears to be on the brink of being resolved; Congo, ravaged in the 1990s by a series of civil wars; and its vast neighbour to the east, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which was the battleground for a five year war that claimed around 2,5-million lives.

Also in the grouping is Rwanda, where a genocide claimed up to one million lives in 100 days in 1994; the Central African Republic, mired in decades of mutinies, coups and rebellions; Chad, where a civil war was fought in the early 1980s and a low-level rebellion in the 1990s; Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe.

In terms of Nepad, the central African leaders vowed to "implement the programme and respect its principles" and to accelerate the creation of a cooperation and development fund "to promote good governance and reinforce peace, security and stability in central Africa".

Nepad offers good governance and a peer review policy to fight corruption in exchange for increased aid and trade to help pull Africa out of its cycle of poverty.

Steps would be taken "an international and regional levels" to officially end sexual discrimination in the sub-region, the summiteers said. – Sapa-AFP.

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