KAMPALA - The East African Council of Ministers is scheduled to sit in Kampala between September 24 and 25 to receive the report on the ongoing Common Market negotiations.

This was revealed yesterday by Eriya Kategaya, Uganda’s Minister for the East African Community Affairs while addressing members of the press at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.

The Ministers from all the five Partner States will meet to receive the report on the annexes of the EAC Common Market Protocol from the Permanent Secretaries.

"During the meeting the ministers will also provide policy decisions if need arises and later forward the complete Protocol to the Heads of State Summit,” said Kategaya.

Other than EAC ministers, the meeting will also be attended by; ministers of Trade and Industry, Finance, Lands and Housing, Education, Internal Affairs, Works and Transport, Agriculture and Foreign Affairs.

In a separate interview with The New Times, Kategaya said that the meeting in Kampala is hopefully the last of the negotiations to complete the EA Common Market Protocol before November 2009.

Currently High Level Task Force officials from government and private sector from EAC Partner States are meeting in Kampala to negotiate the draft of the Protocol.

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