Kipenji,

The current budget for most ministries was cut
sometime back and the resources diverted to help
contain LRA mayhem. MOFA was also affected.

LM
--- Owor Kipenji <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> After reading all this I do believe we are really
> independant and self reliant as Mu7 promised
> Ugandans
> in 1986.May we continue with this very trend of
> independence and self reliance.
> God bless Uganda.
> Thanks.
> Kipenji.
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --- Omar Kezimbira <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 
> > THE EAST AFRICAN -NAIROBI-KENYA
> > 
> > Regional  
> > Monday, January 20, 2003  
> > 
> > 
> > ---------------------------------
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >   
> > Lack of Funds Delays Diplomats' Posting Reopening
> of
> > the country's key embassies of Paris, Tehran, Bonn
> > and Moscow has been put on hold until the Treasury
> > releases funds
> > 
> > 
> > By WAIRAGALA WAKABI 
> > THE EASTAFRICAN 
> > THE LONG delayed posting of new Ugandan diplomats
> > abroad has once again been put on hold, as the
> > Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to secure funds
> > from the Treasury for the exercise. 
> > Ministry sources said the much awaited reopening
> of
> > the country's key embassies of Paris, Tehran, Bonn
> > and Moscow had also been put on hold until the
> > Treasury released funds the ministry requisitioned
> > in the 2002/03 financial year.  
> > Financial difficulties forced Uganda to close its
> > embassies in those countries over two years ago,
> but
> > both the Cabinet and President Yoweri Museveni are
> > now convinced of the need to re-open them. The
> > president has just drawn up a list of nominees for
> > the new postings, including those proposed for the
> > missions in the four nations. 
> > A spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, David Etuket,
> > said funds for the new postings and reopening of
> the
> > missions had not been received, adding that his
> > ministry was engaged in talks with the Treasury to
> > work out the monies needed to expedite its
> release. 
> > "The political decision has been taken to open the
> > missions so we are sure the Treasury will release
> > the funds," said Mr Etuket. The decision to reopen
> > the Paris and Berlin missions was made necessary
> by
> > the fact that the two are among Uganda's leading
> > development partners. Uganda also hopes to market
> > its tourism to investors from France and Germany. 
> > The Ministries of Agriculture, Animal Industry and
> > Fisheries, Works and Communications, Education and
> > Health are said to have realised a fall in donor
> aid
> > following the closure of the missions. 
> > The parliamentary committee on foreign affairs
> > headed by Nathan Nsaba Buturo has accused the
> > Finance Ministry of failing to adequately fund the
> > country's missions abroad. 
> > "The committee is deeply concerned that certain
> > officials in the Ministry of Finance charged with
> > managing the country's purse have limited
> > appreciation of the vital role of the Ministry of
> > Foreign Affairs," said the committee in a
> statement.
> > "These officials see this ministry as a consumer
> > ministry." 
> > Two years ago, Uganda rescinded a decision to
> close
> > the mission in Tokyo after Japan reportedly
> > threatened to shut down its projects in the
> country.
> > Documents at the Foreign Ministry show that Japan
> > had in 2000 slowed down disbursement of bilateral
> > assistance funds to Uganda until Kampala's Foreign
> > Minister James Wapakhapulo travelled to Tokyo and
> > promised to keep the embassy open. 
> > The embassy in China, which had also been
> earmarked
> > for closure, was kept open when Beijing objected
> to
> > the move. Subsequently, China in 2001 gave Uganda
> > funds for construction of the ministry's
> > headquarters and agreed to partially reduce the
> > debts Uganda owed it. Uganda subsequently tasked
> its
> > Beijing mission with promoting Ugandan commodities
> > there, which resulted in the establishment of
> > Ugandan coffee shops in the country. 
> > The protocol department of the Foreign Ministry
> said
> > last week that few governments had responded yet
> to
> > nomination of Uganda's new envoys, which was also
> > expected to delay the postings. 
> > Paris has reportedly been top on the list of the
> > missions Uganda wants to reopen after the French
> > government made a "direct appeal" to President
> > Museveni to reopen it. Increased co-operation
> > between Paris and Kampala in seeking peace in the
> > Great Lakes region had also made it critical to
> > reopen the mission. 
> > The Foreign Ministry's funding proposal for
> opening
> > the new missions and posting new envoys was sent
> to
> > the Finance Ministry separately from the Foreign
> > Ministry's annual budget but has not yet been
> > approved by the Treasury. 
> > Uganda has also decided to open a mission in
> Tehran
> > in order to tap the rich Middle East, which is
> > increasingly becoming a source of markets and
> goods
> > for the country.  
> > "There is a lot of potential for trade and
> > investment in this region. The Islamic Development
> > Bank is a source of both soft and commercial
> loans.
> > There is also the Organisation of Islamic
> > Conference. However, our mission in Riyadh, with
> its
> > small staff and insufficient resources, cannot
> > effectively cover the region," a document on the
> > restructuring of foreign missions says.  
> > Uganda is increasingly selling its goods to the
> > Middle East, including coffee, fish and
> > horticultural products. The region supplies Uganda
> > with electronics, textiles and automobiles.
> Regular
> > flights by Emirates and Gulf Air have helped to
> > strengthen the trade. 
> > Comments\Views about this article 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ---------------------------------
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