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TZ renounces trilateral talks

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 He said Tanzania's official stand regarding the willingness of other countries to enter bilateral or trilateral arrangements needed consensus before their implementation. PHOTO|FILE 

By The Citizen Reporter

Posted  Tuesday, October 22  2013 at  00:00

IN SUMMARY

He said Tanzania's official stand regarding the willingness of other countries to enter bilateral or trilateral arrangements needed consensus before their implementation.

Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday officially renounced the so called 'coalition of the willing' between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and now Burundi.

In a statement issued by the ministry of East African Cooperation, the government also said the ongoing trilateral talks between the countries were against the EAC protocol.

According to the government, the projects under deliberation by the new coalition, and which have received the blessing of Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame, should have been endorsed first by all the EAC member countries.

The statement was issued yesterday at a media briefing at the government Information Services Offices by the ministry's head of communication department, Mr Vedastina Justinian. Mr Justinian said the communication was in response to growing concern among the public that the activities being advanced by the three EAC member countries would isolate Tanzania.

He said Tanzania's official stand regarding the willingness of other countries to enter bilateral or trilateral arrangements needed consensus before their implementation.

"This is notwithstanding the fact that the coalition of the three countries in exclusion of Tanzania and Burundi is being run under their respective foreign affairs dockets and not through the EAC secretariat," the official said.

Mr Justinian said the Kenyan, Rwandan and Ugandan leaders were in contravention of Article 7(1) (e) of the EAC protocol. "Even though this Article allows member countries to enter bilateral or trilateral agreements, it is a must that issues under consideration for implementation under this arrangement are fully discussed and agreed upon by all member countries," read the statement.

Heads of State from Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda met in Kampala in early July this year and agreed to roll-out several cross-country infrastructure projects in a move that has elicited heated debate on the future of regional integration.