Some 30 ministers and senior officials from 19 southern and eastern African countries were at the two-day meeting of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) that opened Monday. The officials will also set the agenda for a summit of the bloc's heads of state and government that begins Thursday.

Only three countries have signed the protocol on the free movement of people goods and services. A total of seven nations must sign the protocol for the trade arrangement to come into force.

"The creation of a large single economic space is critical to the attainment of sustainable growth, attractive to investors and contributes to reducing costs of doing business and promoting production and value addition," said the bloc's Secretary General Erastus Mwencha.

Some 12 heads of state and government have confirmed participation in the summit, during which they are expected to expand the bloc's Court of Justice by setting up an appeals chamber.

The court, which interprets the treaty that set up the group and settles disputes among member states, began operations four years ago from headquarters in Zambia's capital, Lusaka. It will move to Sudan's capital of Khartoum. No date has been set for the move.

The leaders will also consider Libya's application to join.

Alongside the meetings of government officials, some 800 entrepreneurs from the region were discussing promoting regional investments and export competitiveness.

"An endless list of missed opportunities should galvanize our governments and private sector into collective action," Rwanda's President Paul Kagame said as the officials and businesspeople held a joint opening session. "If this is not done, posterity will not judge us kindly as we continue to perpetuate a paradox of allowing millions of our people to suffer from hunger and starvation in the midst of natural endowment that our region is proud to have."

(Chinadaily.com via agencies May 31, 2005)