July 2001 Africa News Headlines

Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - Web posted at 12:54:18 PM GMT

African leaders chart out new pan-African body
NICHOLAS KOTCH

LUSAKA - African leaders met behind closed doors on Tuesday to chart out the future of a new pan-African body to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) after electing the man to take charge of it.

After much haggling the presidents settled on Ivory Coast's veteran former foreign minister, Amara Essy, as the interim secretary-general of the OAU. He will play a pivotal role in the 38-year-old OAU's transition into the African Union (AU).

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan hailed Essy as a seasoned diplomat who brings a wealth of experience to the pan-African bdoy.

"Mr Essy brings to the OAU his extensive regional and international diplomatic experience. He facilitated the resolution of many conflicts in Africa," Annan said in a speech to the summit in reference to Essy's time as foreign minister.

"These skills will be critical in his new assignment at the OAU," Annan added.

The Union is modelled on powerful groupings in Europe and North America.

Leaders must agree on Tuesday at their summit in the Zambian capital Lusaka on the nature and form of the Union's institutions such as its parliament, executive commission, a court and central bank.

The AU's executive commission will be based in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, the home of the OAU, but Tuesday's talks will be characterised by horse-trading about where to site its other institutions.

Some leaders like Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi want the many ills afflicting Africa, such as endless conflicts, to be addressed if the union is to be a success.

"It is useless to talk about an African Union without resolving most of the conflicts," Moi said in prepared remarks to the summit, obtained by Reuters.

"Africa is more divided now than it was at the inception of the OAU. We have got to deal with these issues otherwise we'll be wasting our time with this Union."

OAU officials said Tuesday's talks would also look at the wars across Africa, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Angola, the Sudan to Sierra Leone and Burundi to Western Sahara.

Annan held talks on Monday with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congo President Joseph Kabila on disarming a cocktail of militias active in the Congo, Africa's third largest country.

They discussed a plan by regional leaders to disarm and demobilise militia groups believed to support Kabila while launching sporadic attacks on Congo's neighbours.

"The Secretary General and the two presidents met alone, without any aides. The conflict in eastern Congo was the item on the agenda and Mr Annan believes the meeting went well," Annan's special envoy Kermal Morjane told Reuters.

"The talks centred around the question of dealing with these militia groups under arrangements already agreed, and Kabila's concerns that in dealing with the matter the sovereignty of the Congo be respected," another U.N. official told Reuters.

Diplomatic sources said Rwanda was adamant that hardline Hutu Interahamwe militia, blamed for the 1994 slaughter of some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, be disarmed before a final peace could be reached in the former Zaire.

Under a plan agreed by the Joint Military Commission -- made up of military officials from the governments and rebel groups involved -- militia in the Congo must be disarmed, demobilised, then repatriated to countries not involved in the conflict.

Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola back Kabila in the conflict dubbed "Africa's World War One". Splintered eastern Congo-based rebel groups are backed by Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was warmly acknowledged at the summit as the main architect of the AU project.

Despite his reputation in the West as a dangerous maverick, he has built an impressive power base in Africa as a statesman seen as genuinely believing in the future of the continent.

South Africa will seek summit endorsement on Tuesday for an ambitious plan to revive Africa's fortunes across the board -- peace, economy, education, infrastructure and the environment.

But the Millennium African Recovery programme (MAP), drafted by South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria, has had to be merged with Senegal's rival Omega Plan to avert a damaging delay. (Additional reporting by Manoah Esipisu and John Chiahemen) Nampa-Reuters

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