African leaders agreed yesterday to a Libyan-driven push to transform the African Union (AU) and in theory greatly extend its powers.
The change was materialized by morphing the AU’s executive body, the commission, into an “African Authority.”
The draft document adopted at 4am yesterday at the AU summit of heads of state in Sirte, Libya, showed that the new authority would simplify the AU’s structure and boost its power over defense, diplomatic and international trade matters.
The document was viewed as a milestone for the buildup to what Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has long envisioned as a federal government overseeing a “United States of Africa.”
“The final text reflects everybody’s position,” said Benin’s Foreign Minister Jean-Marie Ehouzou, the only head of state or country delegate to address journalists as the weary-eyed and tightlipped officials trickled out of the conference room after over 15 hours of near-uninterrupted talks.
The Authority would have to resolve doubts voiced by many African leaders about unifying Africa under one government, including concerns about national sovereignty, division of resources and power.
Most African leaders voice support for more unity, but some of the continent’s wealthier nations, led by Nigeria and South Africa, had appeared to be resisting the move. African diplomats say there are worries the new structure could become overbearing, especially if it is led by Qaddafi, who has a long history of intervening throughout Africa.
Ehouzou conceded the final declaration had “provoked quite a few sharp discussions, but I believe the states eventually managed to reach common ground nonetheless.” The draft shows the new Authority will “coordinate the implementation of a common defense policy” as well as the “common position of AU member states during international negotiations.” The Authority is also to hold “the strategic command of an African force in waiting.”
“I believe [African] states are ready to drop a little bit of their sovereignty in favor of the authority,” Ehouzou said.
In practice, however, the wording of the Authority’s new role remained very vague. Ehouzou also confirmed that the changes would have to be first written into the AU’s Constitution before being ratified by the parliament of each of the AU’s 53 member states. The declaration showed that finances related to the change were also to be studied at a later, unspecified date.
Separately, Ehouzou confirmed that the AU’s foreign ministers had adopted a draft decision against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, but said the heads of states had not had the time to address this and the draft was still not final.
“There can still be a new discussion on this,” Ehouzou said.
Diplomats said the foreign ministers had already changed the original draft decision on Thursday to focus it solely on the case of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is under an arrest warrant by the ICC for crimes against humanity and war crimes in the western Sudan region of Darfur.
African officials said the surprise new draft was circulated by Libya, which is hosting the 13th AU summit of heads of state in Sirte, east of the capital, Tripoli.
The draft says the AU “deeply regrets” that the UN ignored its previous demand for the ICC in The Hague to postpone its arrest warrant against al-Bashir.
In consequence, the draft provides that AU countries “shall not cooperate” with the ICC “for the arrest and surrender” of African indicted personalities. But officials say this wording was later changed by the ministers behind closed doors to specifically mention Sudan’s al-Bashir, rather than all African personalities.
Still, if adopted by heads of states, the common ruling could be a powerful blow to prosecuting African officials for war crimes.
Several African leaders appeared to strongly resist the draft decision.
“Certainly that’s not the position that we take,” Ghana’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Mumuni told reporters.
“For us in Ghana there is absolutely no equivocation at all about our acceptance and respect for the jurisdiction, the integrity and high honor of dignity of the ICC,” he said.
But, Mumuni added, Ghana supports the AU’s call to postpone the “ill-timed” ICC warrant against al-Bashir, which he said imperiled peace efforts in Sudan and could create “a huge power vacuum.”
Ghana is among 30 African countries that are party to the international court. Reed Brody, a spokesman for Human Rights Watch, said the draft decision “basically orders them to flout their legal obligations.”
The draft appeared to contradict assurances by the AU’s executive chairman, Jean Ping, that the AU would not reach hard decisions against the ICC.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
Ireland, the UK and France faced travel chaos on Saturday and one person died as a winter storm battered northwest Europe with strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice. Hampshire Police in southern England said a man died after a tree fell onto a car on a major road near Winchester early in the day. Police in West Yorkshire said they were probing whether a second death from a traffic incident was linked to the storm. It is understood the road was not icy at the time of the incident. Storm Bert left at least 60,000 properties in Ireland without power, and closed
RSS