EU hails Uganda for ensuring peace in South Sudan, Somalia

KAMPALA (Xinhua) - Nicholas Westcott, the top European Union diplomat responsible for Africa, has hailed Uganda for ensuring peace in South Sudan and Somalia.

A State House statement issued here on Saturday said Westcott made the comment while meeting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday.

Museveni told his guest that the war in South Sudan was going to have a negative economic impact on Uganda if it was not stopped. He was glad to note that the situation is now normalizing and trade is regaining its momentum.

Uganda deployed troops in South Sudan to stop what it called a possible genocide. It also got peacekeeping troops in Somalia.

Westcott invited Museveni to attend the EU-Africa summit scheduled for April 2-3 in Brussels. The summit will be co-hosted by EU President Van Rompuy and Jos Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. It will be co-chaired by the Africa Union Presidency under the theme "Investing in People, Prosperity and Peace".

According to Westcott, the summit is aimed at strengthening the partnership between Europe and Africa and also at finding ways of building African capacity and stimulating growth that will create employment among the youth by unlocking their productive potential.