The 8th summit of the IGAD [Inter Governmental Authority on Development] heads of states concluded its sessions at the Friendship Hall here on Thursday [23rd November] evening, issued the Khartoum Declaration, and approved the resolutions of the IGAD ministerial committee.

President of the republic and chairman of the current session of the IGAD Gen Umar al-Bashir addressed the concluding session. He thanked the IGAD heads of states, representatives of the regional and international organizations, delegates of the sisterly and friendly countries and forum of the IGAD Partners for their participation in the Khartoum summit, affirming that during his chairmanship of the IGAD he would work to achieve peace and stability in the region in collaboration with the region states.

The Eritrean president, Isayas Afewerki, addressed the concluding session on behalf of the presidents participating in the summit. Minister of External Relations Dr Mustafa Uthman Isma'il, meanwhile, read out before the summit the Khartoum Declaration, which stressed cooperation of the IGAD states in the various fields, as well as their satisfaction over the political development that started to prevail in the subregion.

The declaration also stressed the IGAD's support to the efforts aiming at resolving the Somali issue and facing the challenges confronting the region. The declaration further stressed the IGAD states's agreement to surpass their differences, respect the human rights, and encourage the economic and commercial cooperation among member states.

The summit decided to excuse Somalia's loans to the IGAD, and to convene a joint meeting between the IGAD and the IGAD partners in Rome next January to discuss reactivation of relations. The summit approved the recommendations of the IGAD Ministerial Committee on issues of peace in Sudan and Somalia, besides the issues of development and reactivation of cooperation among member states.

The 8th summit of the IGAD started its sessions on Thursday [23rd November] morning with intensive participation of IGAD heads of states, including the Djibouti president and former chairman of the IGAD, Isma'il Omar Gelleh, the Eritrean president, Isayas Afewerki, the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi, and the Somali president, Abdiqasim Salad [Hasan], where Kenya was represented by the Kenyan foreign minister, and Uganda by the delegation which participated in the meetings of the IGAD experts.

The Egyptian foreign minister, Amr Musa, Secretary of the Libyan People's Committee for African Unity Dr Abd-al-Salam Al-Turayki, the minister of foreign affairs of South Africa Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the Italian state minister for foreign affairs and chairman of the IGAD Partners' Forum, the secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, representative of the UN, Comesa [Common Market for East and Southern Africa] secretary-general, and deputy director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) participated in the summit as a monitors.