ADDIS ABABA 1-3 Feb 2009 African Union summit might launch federal African government

Despite differences on the issue, there is a plan to set up an African federal government at the February summit of the African Union. Stretching the usual 2-day summit three days to accommodate one full day of federation business is part of the plan. The 47-nation Union of the Mediterranean, the brainchild of French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched in July, appears to have injected urgency into the United States of Africa dream.

Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, a driving force behind both the African Union and federation of the continent, maintains the new European-Mediterranean bloc will divide the 53-nation African Union. He refers to a possible split between north African countries and the rest of the African Union. In protest, he did not attend the July inauguration ceremony in Paris. He accuses the European Union of wanting to dominate its southern partners, once under European colonial rule. Rapid federation is seen as a way to strengthen AU unity before the Mediterranean bloc gains significant traction.

But there is uneven support for federation. Only 20 AU leaders signed up in July to go forward with it. The critics include Ghanaian President Kufor, who says he “does not understand how a parallel government could be useful” while “the current Commission is perfectly able to carry out missions and hold the place we wish to attribute to it through our decisions.”

In other business, the AU leaders will move forward on food, water and climate change projects agreed at their July summit, and also continue to wrestle with the Darfur issue. The United Nations and African Union have appointed Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister, Djibril Bassole, as the new joint UN-AU Chief Mediator for Darfur. UPDATED Dec/08

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African Union
http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/index/index.htm

Libya says Mediterranean Union will divide Africa (EU Observer 4 Aug 2008)
http://euobserver.com/9/26581