http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/b7aefa80437527288db98da64eba5fdc/SA-joins-other-African-countries-in-boycotting-EU-Africa-Summit
SA joins other African countries in boycotting EU-Africa Summit
Sunday 30 March 2014 19:51
SABC
President Jacob Zuma says the EU should not decide who attends the
EU-Africa Summit.(SABC)
TAGS:
Gillian PillayEU-Africa SummitJacob ZumaTradeBrusselsAUOmar
al-BashirAfricaRobert MugabeSteven FriedmanGrace
MugabeUkrainePretoriaPoliticsEgypt
South Africa has come out in support of the African Union call to shun the
European Union-Africa Summit in Brussels this week.
The countries are of the view that European Union is dictating the
composition of Africa's delegation.
There are some controversial inclusions and omissions. President Jacob Zuma
has joined leaders like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe boycotting the summit.
Pretoria will be represented on a ministerial level.
The European Union-Africa summit is a gathering of 90 countries from two
continents attended by 65 heads of states and government.
The bone of contention is the invitation list.
On the agenda is trade and political relations but there will be some
notable absentees.
"I think that time must pass wherein we are looked as subjects, we are told
who must come, who must not come, we have not attempted to decide when we
meet Europe; who must come and who must not come. It is wrong and causes
this unnecessary unpleasantness. I thought the AU and EU are equal
organisations representing two continents but there is not a single one of
them who must decide for others," says President Jacob Zuma.
The bone of contention is the invitation list.
Eritrea has been barred from attending because of its human rights record.
The SADR, also known as Western Sahara is also excluded because of its
territorial dispute with Morocco, which is not an AU member.
Sudan was invited, but it's President, Omar al-Bashir shunned the event. He
is wanted by the ICC for human rights atrocities.
Grace Mugabe was not granted a visa to travel with her husband and Egypt,
which has been suspended from the AU, got the nod.
Analysts say that the continent should decide on its own delegates.
"The position of the African Union is that it should be up to the African
Union rather than the European Union to decide which African leaders are
accepted or not .
It seems SA is taking a stand to say you have no right to exclude
particular African leaders," says Political Analyst Steven Friedman.
Friedman adds that the diplomatic gesture will have no bearing on trade
relations between South Africa and the EU, Pretoria's biggest trading
partner.
The EU finds itself in the midst of another diplomatic wrangle. It signed
an agreement with Ukraine forging closer economic ties, in a show of
support following Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Received on Mon Mar 31 2014 - 06:58:25 EDT