Libya, July 03: African leaders have agreed to empower the African Union and give it a role in coordinating defense policy and trade negotiations, paving the way for the creation of “United States of Africa.”
The majority of African leaders present at an AU summit in Sirte, Libya sponsored Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi’s initiative for a restructured African Union in which 53 nations across the continent would opt for a centralized command in order to address member states’ defense, political and transnational trade affairs, Reuters reported.
In the course of Friday’s clandestine marathon meeting, African heads of state agreed on a draft decree on the creation of a strong “African Authority” which, if adopted, could tackle regional issues through a consensus amongst all members.
The authority will also pave the way for unified action and seek to “reflect everybody’s position”, said Beninois Foreign Minister Jean-Marie Ehouzou.
However, the current AU chief Gadhafi’s plan has drawn criticism from South African and Nigerian delegations that considered the scheme as an encroachment on the national sovereignty of African countries.
Yet, Ehouzou, being the only authority to speak to reporters, downplayed concerns over a federalized Africa as envisaged by Gadhafi, saying, “I believe (African) states are ready to drop a little bit of their sovereignty in favor of the authority.”
The leaders are expected to conclude the summit meeting later on Friday after discussing urgent issues around the continent including the Somali conflict.
The latest AU session was originally due to concentrate on agricultural matters but then partially changed course and pushed for a stronger union within the members.
Established in 2002 from its precursor, the Organization of African Unity, the African Union holds biannual meetings in an orchestrated attempt to deal with predicaments around Africa.
—–Agencies