July 4, 2007
An African summit overran on Tuesday
as the leaders struggled to avoid a
damaging public split over moves to
unite the continent under one federal
government.
The three-day meeting was one day
longer than other recent summits and
had only one agenda item, the campaign
for a United States of Africa.
But hours after it was expected to
end, the leaders were still wide apart
and trying to find a compromise.
Several delegations had already left
for home.
While almost all the 53 member nations
agree with the goal of African
economic integration and eventual
unity, most of the summit leaders want
this to be a gradual process.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi and
Senegal's Abdoulaye Wade lead a more
radical group pushing for the
immediate creation of a federal state
stretching from the Cape to Cairo.
In a speech to the summit on Tuesday,
Gadaffi proposed a referendum to
settle the issue. The Libyan leader,
who calls himself a soldier for
Africa, says the decision should be
made by the African masses and not
leaders in conference halls.
"We ask all the heads of state to
hold a referendum so that they will
see that all the people want a United
States of Africa," Gaddafi said.
Conference sources said Gaddafi
appeared conciliatory in his speech,
as did South African President Thabo
Mbeki, the leader of the gradualist
group.
The summit seemed to be trying hard to
avoid any appearance of a crisis over
the divisive issue. But it looked like
going into Tuesday evening in the
search for a face-saving formula.
Wade strongly promoted the creation of
a union government when he spoke to
journalists on Monday night.
Salvation
"There is no salvation for Africa
outside political unity ... If we
remain fragmented into little states,
we will remain weak, politically
weak," he said.
Asked about earlier Senegalese threats
that a group of five or six states
could forge ahead with federation,
Wade said: "Theoretically, it is
not excluded ... but I don't think
we'll be going in that direction.
"If the conference as a whole
makes progress towards a government
that it calls a continental
government, a union government ...
that will create a basis that we can
accept."
But the position of Wade, Gadaffi and
their supporters is far from that of
the majority gradualist group.
"In Uganda, we are not in favour
of forming a continental government
now," said President Yoweri
Museveni, one of the more outspoken
members of that group, based around
the Anglophone southern and eastern
blocs.
Museveni said that while economic
integration was possible, people from
different regions of Africa were
incompatible politically and forcing
them together would create tension.
"I salute the enthusiasm of those
who advocate for continental
government now. I, however, do not
want us to move from one mistake --
Balkanisation -- to another mistake of
oversimplification of very complex
situations," Museveni said.
Umaru Yar'Adua, newly elected
president of Nigeria, Africa's most
populous country, also came down on
the side of gradualism.
With both Nigeria and South Africa,
backed by the eastern and southern
blocs, supporting a gradual process,
the pro-union group looked isolated.
Wade said the debate was finely
balanced.
Lesotho's Prime Minister Pakalitha
Mosisili summed up the view of the
moderates: "Even as we pursue
this noble objective, we cannot ignore
the factors that militate against
it." He said surrender of
national sovereignty was a "tall
order".
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