February 09, 2009
Africa: African Union ends summit, tensions with Gaddafi
Abuja (Nigeria) — African Union leaders wound up a summit in Addis Ababa yesterday with the continent beset by conflict and divided over new chairman Moamer Kadhafi's plans for unifying its 53 member states.
Closing speeches hailed an agreement to change the name of the body's main executive arm but the Libyan leader's election as the organisation's rotating chairman sparked a debate that led to the summit's extension by a day.
"After earnest efforts toward Africa's unity, we were able to agree on transforming the AU Commission into the AU Authority, which is a very significant step," Kadhafi said.
"We Africans have only unity to gain strength. We live in a ruthless world, where the strong live and the weak are enslaved... I want to tell Africa's youth that the power is theirs and that they should push for African unity."
The veteran Libyan leader's vision for a more aggressive integration of the continent into what he calls the "United States of Africa" was met by deep reservations from some key nations.
Yesterday's closing speeches came after late night drama at the AU's Addis Ababa headquarters, when the Libyan leader walked out on discussions over the future of the organisation.
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said in a joint interview with AFP and his nation's SABC television on Tuesday that proposals for strengthening the AU would be considered only over the next three months.
"The aim is to strengthen and expand a bit on the functions and responsibilities of the Authority," he said.
During the summit, the tensions with Kadhafi were palpable. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni proposed turning the AU leadership into a troika, which would mitigate Kadhafi's influence in a role that already has little real power.
"Africans are polite, but deserve respect," Museveni told him, according to one participant in the talks.
Yet, differences remain over how the new system would be implemented. Countries such as Libya advocate immediate unification, a position Kadhafi says is the only way forward for the war-ravaged and drought-stricken continent. On the other hand Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya seek gradual integration - and seem to have the upper hand at the moment.
source.Daily Trust (Nigeria).