July 11, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1423

DURBAN: Africa’s leaders ended an era on Monday, as they held the last summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on the eve of the launch of the African Union (AU), a new pan-African body designed to help end poverty, political crises and war.

Opening the summit in Durban, South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki called for a new beginning for Africa, urging his peers to strive for “unity, peace and prosperity.”

“Our experience of the last 40 years says that we have a duty to radically change the structure and content of our political, economic and social relations with the rest of the world,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by outgoing OAU chairman Levy Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia, who said that “It is imperative as we establish the African Union, that we strengthen the principles of democracy, good governance, and respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, who came up with the idea of the AU, warned that Africa would not flinch.

“We welcome all who want to assist us, but those who want to impose conditions on us, we don’t want it. African democracy is good governance,” said Kadhafi, who himself came to power in a coup.

“We are not beggars. We are full of pride and dignity. We are not students that need somebody to teach us. We are friends to those who are friends to us and enemies to those who are enemies to us.”

In Brussels, European Commission President Romano Prodi offered “concrete support” to establish the AU.

“The commission wishes full success to the AU and to the commitments of its leaders and looks forward to a new era of partnership to be concretely enhanced during the next EU-Africa ministerial conference in November,” Prodi said.

The OAU was born in May 1963 as a vehicle for African states to fight the last vestiges of colonialism and to forge solidarity.

It staunchly opposed apartheid, but is now seen as having outlived its usefulness as it stands powerless to stop some 20 conflicts in Africa.

The OAU had as one of its central tenets the principle of national sovereignty and non-interference.

The AU, on the other hand, is closely linked to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) which promises that African countries will practise democracy in exchange for more aid.

It will have a peace and security council, based on the UN Security Council, that could send African troops to intervene in conflicts where crimes against humanity are involved, such as the 1994 genocide in Rwanda which claimed around a million lives.

The OAU barred Madagascar from the summit, citing a 2000 resolution not to recognize any leader who took power by force, and reservations about the election of President Marc Ravalomanana in December.

He secured his grip on power last week when his rival, outgoing president Didier Ratsiraka fled the island to France after refusing for seven months to accept defeat.

“The decision is a matter of principle and is a reaffirmation of our commitment to the ideals of governance that we, as the OAU, have made,” said outgoing OAU chairman Levy Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia.

But in the same speech, he welcomed the “legitimate” presidential elections in Zimbabwe last year which are widely regarded to have been stolen by President Robert Mugabe, one of the leaders who attended Monday’s summit.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan cautioned that the AU faced greater challenges that Europe with less resources.

Outside, some 200 noisy protesters — ringed in by police in riot kit, on horseback and in armoured cars — demanded new policies to help the poor.—AFP