http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/18/worldupdates/2012-03-18T000147Z_1_BRE82H002_RTROPTT_0_UK-AFRICA-LEADERSHIP&sec=Worldupdates
Sunday, March 18, 2012 Africa Union fails to break leadership deadlock
COTONOU (Reuters) - Leaders of eight African Union countries failed on
Saturday to break a deadlock over the leadership of the 54-member body,
highlighting divisions that have repeatedly stymied its decision-making.
The talks in the Benin port of Cotonou were called after neither of the two
front-runners for the AU commission chairman post - former South African
foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon -
managed to secure an outright majority during a voting contest in January.
"Consultations will continue ... notably (between) Gabon and South Africa,"
said a statement issued after the Cotonou talks by leaders of those two
countries plus officials from Chad, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Ethiopia, Benin
and Angola.
They said a further round of talks would be scheduled to try and break the
deadlock before a summit in Malawi around the middle of the year. Ping's
mandate has been extended until then.
The commission is the AU secretariat's top administrative unit and the
chairman its public face.
South African President Jacob Zuma's failure to secure a majority for
Dlamini-Zuma, his ex-wife, after Ping's much criticised tenure was a blow
to South Africa, which regards itself as an emerging power championing
African causes, but is seen by some other states as out of touch with
global affairs.
The AU was widely criticised as being behind the curve on events leading up
to the Libyan war, particularly among the many Africans who were
uncomfortable with the idea of Western war planes bombing African territory.
(Reporting by Samuel Elijah; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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Received on Sat Mar 17 2012 - 22:13:24 EDT
