Speaking during the closing session of the 13th Summit of the AU heads of State and government, the Libyan leader said African leaders were taking the issue of conflicts seriously and would act on “leaders who do not abide by the needs of the African people”.
He said the era of “senseless coup d’etats was over and that African leaders had shown their determination to lead the way by declaring the formation of the African Union Authority during the meeting in Sirte, after three days of heated debate on the subject.
“We were told in the past that we had more than 20 Summits and we never achieved anything. This time, they will see. They said we postponed the formation of the African Union Authority and now, they can see, we have decided we will establish the Authority,” the Libyan leader said.
The Libyan leader said the new crop of African leaders was sensitive to the demands and aspirations of the African population and was leading the continent away from its past, which was mainly punctuated with military coups.
The Special Summit, which, he said, should be held on the 40th anniversary of the Libyan liberation, would be dedicated to discussing concrete ways of ending current conflicts plaguing Africa.
They include the crisis in Somalia, the power grab in Madagascar, the political crisis in Guinea Bissau and the continuing border crises, mainly in the Horn of Africa region.
“We still have challenges. We have to stand up to these challenges, some of which are results of foreign forces. We decided that we could have a special occasion of the Summit on the 40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution to discuss the issue of African conflicts in detail,” the Libyan leader emphasized.
He said the African leaders had also agreed to be “firm with the coup plotters and those who attempt to grab power by unconstitutional means.
South African President Jacob Zuma said the Summit in Sirte, central Libya, agreed on the need to address the political crisis in Madagascar and also adopted key resolutions on Africa’s peace and security.
He told the leaders the fight against conflicts was a key part of South Africa’s foreign policy, starting with South Africa’s peace mediation efforts in Burundi, which brought peace in the Central African nation.
President Zuma said South Africa would continue with the efforts initiated by legendary leader Nelson Mandela, the first President of post-apartheid South Africa.
“One of the areas we want to be steadfast in is peace, security and conflict resolution. We see our role in building on this legacy of our leaders,” President Zuma said earlier in his inaugural address to the AU assembly of heads of state and government.
Sirte - 03/07/2009
Pana
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