5th February 2005:

Leader of the House of Lords and President of the Council of the United Kingdom Honourable Baroness Valene Amos on Saturday concluded a day visit in Banjul during which she had a lengthy discussion with Gambian authorities on the United Kingdom's commitment to Africa during UK's presidencies of the G-8 and the European Union this year.

Accompanied by the British High Commissioner in the Gambia and other officials, Honourable Amos last Saturday called on President Jammeh at State House and briefed him of the work of the Africa Commission, an initiative of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and seek his views on this very important issues.

Speaking to reporters shortly after meeting the Gambian leader which lasted for almost three hours, Honourable Amos said the main item of their discussion was to brief President Jammeh on her Prime Minister's Commission for Africa which will report in March this year and the plans they had for UK's presidency for the G-8.

According to her there will be a meeting in July this year and the presidency of the European Union. This she continued is a relation to the priority that they have given to Africa and the five areas they are looking at in particular are UK's increasing development of aids to Africa, looking at the issue of debt relief – more deeper and faster debt relief, looking at the inequalities that exist with respect to the world trade regime, supporting African countries in their push to create the right kind of climate for investment, because according to her, Africa will only come out of the situation of poverty with economic growth and supporting good governance in the country as well.

She said there are not entirely a new approach, but is about using the political will of the richest countries in the world to work in partnership with some of the poorest countries in the world. And also it is about being complimentary to what the African Union and NEPAD are doing particularly in the areas of building peace and security.

Asked whether Gambia is part of the debt relief of the United Kingdom government in the new initiative, Amos said that decision is with respect to heavily indebted poor countries initiative (Hipic initiative), but what UK government has done is countries that go through that initiative whether it has debt with United Kingdom, they will wipe out 100 percent of bilateral debt of countries in the Hipic initiative. And in addition she continued, where countries have significant levels of debt to organisations like the World Bank or what they call the multi-lateral institutions, UK will pay 10 percent of that debt to those institutions.

Asked as a government how much influence UK has on some of those institutions, Amos noted that as government what United Kingdom is seeking to do is to work through their partners in the G-8 – that is the 7 richest countries of the world plus Canada and of course they will put their partners in the European Union. But she emphasised that, they have to work with their partners Africans themselves, whom she thinks have to set their own priorities and have clear leadership in the area of building sustainable development.

Though she could not reveal details of her discussions with President Jammeh, but said the Gambian leader had sent a message to the British Prime Minister wishing him well in this initiative.

According to Amos she has received a positive welcome from all the countries she visited so far on Africa Commission and what is coming out of it.

Commenting on the bilateral relations, Amos said she and President Jammeh also touched on the relationship between Britain and the Gambia, adding that of course UK are the biggest donors to the Gambia with their programmes which look at areas such as Education and Judicial reform.