Harare — THE First Southern African Regional Assembly meeting of the African Caribbean and Pacific European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly will be held in Namibia next month.

The meeting is the first to be held in the region and is expected to go a long way in consolidating the relationship between Sadc region and other international groupings.

Previous meetings have been held in Brussels and Rwanda.

Head of delegation to ACP-EU assembly, Chitungwiza Senator Forbes Magadu (Zanu-PF) said several discussions centering on Sadc and the African Union would be held.

He said the role and achievements of the Pan-African Parliament would also come under spotlight.

According to the draft programme, the Sadc secretariat will table a report on "Peace and Stability in the Southern African Region" and a brainstorm is expected to follow.

The regional secretariat is also expected to present a report on elections and electoral processes, and the region's experience on the election observer mission.

Zimbabwe is expected to be a case study as most observers, mostly from the West, have been accused of coming to the country with a predetermined position. This has seen the West condemning Zimbabwe's electoral process despite the fact that other regional blocs would have declared them as free and fair and a true reflection of the will of the people.

Zimbabwe is the first country to implement the Sadc Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections agreed upon by the region in Mauritius in 2004.

It would also be interesting that the meeting would be held soon after Zimbabwe has just come out of her harmonised elections to be held at the end of this month.

Cde Magadu said the issue of trade among regional blocs would also come on the spotlight.

Other members of the ACP-EU assembly from Zimbabwe are Chirumhanzu-Kwekwe Senator, Cde Vongai Muchengeti (Zanu-PF) and Kuwadzana Member of the House of Assembly Mr Nelson Chamisa (MDC).