Kampala — THE foreign ministers meeting, a precursor to the African Union (AU) summit, opened yesterday with the situation in Somalia and bomb attacks in Kampala overshadowing the theme, maternal health.

Somali militants, the Al Shabaab, said they were retaliating Uganda's deployment of peacekeepers in Mogadishu. Burundi is the only other country which contributes peacekeeping troops to Somalia.

The speakers at the opening of the 17th ordinary session of the executive council emphasised the need for a global front to fight terrorists and end the use of Somalia as a base for terrorism.

German vice-chancellor Guido Westerwelle condemned the July 11 twin bomb attacks on World Cup fans at Kabalagala and Lugogo in which 76 of them died.

"The attackers cannot stop people from living together. We must work together to weed out these bad elements and stabilise Somalia," Westerwelle, who is also Germany minister of foreign affairs, said.

He explained that Germany was contributing to the training of Somali armed forces through the European Union, and was also participating in setting up the police for the AU standby force.

Westerwelle pledged Germany's support for Africa's demand for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

"The vital issue is not what Europe contributes to Africa, but that African countries take the future of the continent into their own hands. This can be done by enhancing democracy and good governance. Africa is a continent with a lot of opportunities. Let us use these opportunities together for a good cause," he said.

Japan's parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs, Chinami Nishimura, announced that Japan would continue supporting the AU's endeavours to promote peace and security by contributing to its peace fund.

Cuba's first deputy minister for foreign affairs, Marcelino Medina, said: "We need to be together in this fight. There is an imminent danger of war that could be waged using nuclear weapons."

The first deputy Prime Minister, Eria Kategaya, also deplored the bombings.

"This callous and heinous act brings to the fore the danger posed by terrorism on the continent and beyond. It impels us and the international community to martial collective action against perpetrators of international lawlessness," Kategaya, who is also minister to the East African Community, pointed out.

He said the perpetrators would be brought to book.

Kategaya assured the delegates that all had been put in place for their safety during the conference.

The council meeting observed a moment of silence for the victims of the Kampala bombings, Nigerian president Umar Yar'dua and the over 200 people who perished in a fuel accident in the DR Congo.

Kategaya called on the session to comprehensively address the challenges facing Africa, particularly those relating to infrastructure like roads, railways and energy supply.

He said the struggle against underdevelopment was slowly being won, adding that Africa was poised to enjoy the benefits of peace and progress.

Kategaya called for the strengthening of programmes to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

He also stated: "A significant number of African countries now uphold democracy, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights."

Kategaya appealed to AU member countries to continue upholding what was adopted in the union's constitutive Act to reject unconstitutional changes of government.