Mkapa Benjamin

President Banda and his Counterpart former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa today held closed-door talks at state house.

During the closed –door talks the two presidents discussed the political and security situation in the great lakes Region.

This is according to a statement made available to ZANIS by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere.

Mr. Mkapa  who is one of  the mediators  in the Great Lakes Region is in the country to brief  President Banda  on the Political and Security situation  in the region ahead of the  African Union  Heads of  State  and Government  summit to be held in Addis  Ababa, Ethiopia next month .

President Banda who is the current Chairman of the International Conference on Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) thanked Mr. Mkapa for the detailed brief presented to him.
President Banda said the brief was useful in handling the conflicts in the region.

Mr. Mkapa  said the political and security situation in the great lakes region has normalized in some of the countries adding that there are still many challenges which need to be addressed in order to have peace and stability in the entire region.

Mr. Benjamin Mkapa and Former Nigerian President General Olusegun Obasanjo are the two mediators appointed to spearhead the peace process in the region.