Germany: Suspend aid to Kenya
2008-01-04 21:53
Berlin - Germany's Cooperation Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said on Friday that EU aid to Kenya should be suspended if the government rejects international efforts to end deadly political turmoil.
The minister said that the 2003 Cotonou cooperation accord between the European Union and developing countries allowed Europe to suspend aid if Kenyan authorities did not meet its human rights and democratic commitments.
"The EU must make sure that the commitments are respected," Wieczorek-Zeul said in a statement released by her ministry.
Germany gives about €24m a year in bilateral aid to Kenya.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Thursday for a recount in Kenya's December 27 presidential election after the opposition said it had been rigged. About 350 people have been killed in unrest since the election.
- AFP