Minister Andrews visits Tanzania
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. David Andrews, T.D., arrived in Tanzania today for a two day visit. He met with President Mkapa and Foreign Minister Kikwete in the city of Dodoma.
The Minister had a wide exchange of views with the President and the Foreign Minister on a range of bilateral and regional issues. In particular President Mkapa briefed the Minister on the mediation efforts being made by former President Nyerere in the Arusha talks on the peace process in Burundi. Minister Andrews praised the very positive efforts by Tanzania to facilitate peace making in the Great Lakes region. The Minister was also briefed by President Mkapa on the current situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ministers and the President also discussed the Ireland Tanzania relationship with specific reference to the Irish Aid programme. The Government has allocated IEP 7.8 million to the Tanzanian aid programme in 1999. This funding goes toward four multi-Sectoral District Development Programmes and to projects in the areas of Agriculture Natural Resources and Environment, Governance, Human Rights and Democratisation, Education, Health and National Capacity Building.
An important new component in the programme is Ireland`s commitment to support the Government of Tanzania`s recently established Multilateral Debt Relief Fund. Ireland has already paid IEP 4 million of IEP 6 million it has agreed to contribute to the fund over the period 1998-2000.
