From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Feb 14 2009 - 05:31:39 EST
United States of Africa may take off in 2017, says Wade
February 14, 2009
AHEAD of a proposal for the proclamation of the United States of Africa by
2017, continental leaders will by January next year establish an Authority
of the Africa Union to work out the details of the plan.
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who announced the two dates in Dakar
yesterday, said that an extraordinary AU meeting would be held to adopt the
recommendations of the organisation's last summit early this month in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia.
The summit reached a consensus on the establishment of the AU Authority to
coordinate efforts geared towards establishing the United States of Africa.
Opening a two-day international symposium on the Great Green Wall (GGW),
President Wade said after this meeting, the countries were expected to adopt
the new texts, before promulgating them.
Pan-African News Agency reports quoted Wade as saying that "the United
States of Africa will be proclaimed in 2017, to allow for the time needed to
work out the different African institutions," he said.
He said at the just-ended AU summit, a "Group of 20 African countries were
ready to go their own way and set up a Federal Union. We primarily had the
idea of establishing a Federal Union. Eventually, we agreed to the
resolutions of the summit providing for the establishment of an Authority."
Also, Libyan leader and AU Chairman, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, yesterday said he
would like a United States of Africa to include "Caribbean islands with
African populations".
Speaking in Tripoli as AU new chief, Gaddafi hinted that this could include
Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
He sympathised with Somali pirates, describing their actions as
self-defence.
Last week, he said that multi-party democracy was not right for Africa.
Gaddafi's critics believe he is too erratic to be chairman of the 53-nation
AU.
Celebrating his new role at his compound in Tripoli on Tuesday, Gaddafi
suggested Caribbean islands should join the AU and become a bridge between
Africa and Latin America.
He told the gathering of about 400 guests that Somali pirates were only
hitting back against other countries stealing marine wealth from the
region's waters.
Gaddafi said the United Nations (UN) should protect Somali waters from the
piracy of other countries.
He also said he would use his 12 months at the helm of the AU to try to
resolve Africa's conflicts, including Darfur and Somalia.
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