By Wangui Kanina

NAIROBI, March 30 (Reuters) - Flowers, fruit and vegetable growers from 12 African countries launched an organisation on Friday to give their continent more weight in trade talks with the European Union (EU) that must end this year.

The EU wants to finalise new economic deals by Jan. 1, 2008, to replace the Cotonou Agreement that gave goods from parts of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific preferential access to Europe.

Kenyan Trade Minister Mukhisa Kituyi urged the newly formed East, Central and Southern African Horticulture Council to put pressure on their governments to fast track the talks.

"The more you are united, the more you will bring home the reality that Dec. 31 is critically important," Kituyi said.

Kenya is a top horticulture exporter to the EU and has hosted meetings between eastern and southern African countries and the EU on the new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

"We must fast track agreements on the core pillars of the EPA negotiation: development and market access," Kituyi said.

"Once we flesh out the core components, then we can agree on a time to complete the other components that will not have fallen into place by the end of this year."

The Nairobi-based Council will also help smaller producers face challenges like "carbon miles", where EU countries have blamed flights carrying produce from sub-Saharan Africa for increasing carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming.

"Synergies between you and government players in forestalling this carbon miles debate before it becomes a fad will be very important," Kituyi said.

The Council groups Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa.

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