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Your Excellency, the Current Chairperson of the African Union, Your Majesty, Brother Leader, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Excellency, President of the Palestinian Authority, The Secretary General of the United Nations, The President of the European Union Commission, The Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Former Presidents, Former OAU Secretaries General and Chairperson of the African Union Commission, The Executive Secretaries of Regional Economic Communities, Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, We are gathered once again in Sirte, the birthplace of the African Union, on the occasion of the 5 th Assembly to give yet another decisive impetus to our Organization, thanks to the solicitude of the people of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and its Leader, Brother Muammar Kadhafi, and thanks to your leadership, President Obasanjo, and the cooperation of your peers. To consolidate this momentum, it will be necessary to fine-tune the concept of our Organization as the federation of the United States of Africa as you defined it in July 2004, in Addis Ababa, rather than a mere grouping of Nation States. Undoubtedly, the road will be long, a progressive march towards a known destination, a road with stages that have been better defined by the crucial harmonization and improved coordination of the pillars which are the Regional Economic Communities, as you yourselves wished, at the Extraordinary Summit on Employment in Ouagadougou. We have proceed methodically and step by step once the objectives of the United States of Africa have been defined, clearly identifying the different stages as well as working out a strategy for stepping up activities between the stages each it is necessary, in consultation with Member States and the RECs. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The entity which the African Union and NEPAD should constitute will undoubtedly help to consolidate the leadership of our Organization and firmly establish the orientations, programmes and NEPAD values in our countries, in our Regional Economic Communities, and at continental level as well as in programmes with our partners to meet the exigencies of the New Partnership for Development. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Integration cannot be moved forward without greater ownership of the idea of integration by our fellow-citizens, without fuller participation of the populations, particularly the youth, in the life of our Institutions, without concrete responses to their concerns, without the emergence of a Pan-African conscience which will thwart "egocentric pseudo-nationalist feelings" and reduce "nationalist excesses" which could arise from a form of "regionalism": the emergence of a Pan-African conscience which will also assert the equal contribution of all African countries. For, Ladies and Gentlemen, there can be no lasting fear of any hegemonism because in Africa there are big countries but no small countries. To ensure the progress of integration, it is essential to strengthen the Institutions of the African Union, the Commission and, of course, the Pan-African Parliament, ECOSOCC and others; it is essential to reinforce the civil society, to give the private sector its rightful place, and last but not least, to ensure the participation of political parties, whose contribution will be decisive. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
A wind of commitment for Africa is blowing over the world which is not simply due to the latest fashion or pretence. It is the expression of a new conscience of solidarity towards Africa and the affirmation of new -ethics in cooperation. Our sincere gratitude goes to all those throughout the world today, who have Africa's interest at heart and intend to support African policies, artists, athletes, businessmen and women, media practitioners and civil society organizations.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The G8 Meeting in Gleneagles this month, and the next Extraordinary Session of the United Nations in New York next September, are momentous occasions that reflect this new conscience. Africa should participate in these meetings as a standing, united, inter-dependent Africa, speaking with one voice and working together. A responsible Africa which, in the name of its principle of non-indifference, will take charge of its own problems. A responsible Africa that will always respect its commitments and its principles by constantly sending clear signals about its progress. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Too many promises have been made to us at too many major meetings, but they have not always been kept: • Since 1970, it was requested that the level of Official Development Assistance be increased to 0.7% of the GDP of partner countries; • For the past 25 years, the issue of extricating the Continent from debt has been raised. At the present rate, the Millennium Development Goals to be attained by 2015 will not be achieved before a century, if at all. However, let us welcome today's promises with more vigilance as partners, as a responsible Africa in the spirit of NEPAD. Total cancellation of the debt of 14 out of the 18 key African countries mentioned is an important step since, for the first time, the dogma has fallen and other initiatives are in the pipeline, for it concerns the cancellation of 40 billion dollars in debt out of approximately 200 billion dollars. We must ensure that the effects of this initiative are not undermined by conditionalities. We must also ensure, in our opinion, that collectively the principle of debt reduction for all African countries is firmly laid down, since it is all African countries that are crushed, under similar conditions, by this debt. Releasing the countries known as "the poorest" without the others, does not release the Continent's energy because the driving force of others is blocked. We will certainly need to establish a mechanism for monitoring, analyzing and processing our debt, ensuring better coordination and better use of aid, as well as making sure that promises made are kept. Fortunately, the idea of doubling Official Development Assistance has been tabled once again. Grants and loans are not irreconcilable; indisputably, we will have to define together the new conditions to manage these instruments. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, Africa needs massive funding for which neither total debt cancellation, nor doubling Official Development Assistance, or even a combination of the two, will suffice. These measures will provide 30 million dollars, the equivalent of half of what the implementation of the NEPAD Programme requires annually. We need other resources, and to this end, we must address the issue of adequate remuneration for our raw materials, and indeed the guaranteeing of resources from our raw materials. The issue of subsidies should be appropriately and urgently addressed, and the opening up of the global agricultural market is a political as well as moral requirement. In this battle, we should all stand firmly behind the cotton producing countries which, in their struggle, have succeeded in making cotton the symbol of the inequalities of the world trade system. This debate on cotton is bogged down by technical considerations while the solution is first of all political. If we do not win this negotiation, we will not win any other one. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, That today we need substantial resources to finance the Pan-African Infrastructural Development Fund, the Digital Solidarity Fund, as well as agricultural, education and health programmes is a fact that cannot be denied. Current offers must not be allowed to overshadow the need for additional resources if we want, in a space of a generation, to put Africa firmly on the road of job creation especially among the youth and production of wealth which must be distributed judiciously, thereby waging effective war against poverty which is so widespread among rural masses and which mostly affects women. We should not always rely on others. As your Excellencies have pointed out, and rightly so, we must first and foremost see what we can do ourselves. We must ask ourselves how best we can mobilize the resources generated by our raw materials to finance our development projects; how best we can manage our substantial savings which leave our countries, sometimes illegally; savings which are higher than the official development assistance we receive. I am here referring particularly to pension funds. We should also bring our partners to join hands with us in our efforts towards concrete realization of genuine programmes underpinned by meaningful development contracts and in a spirit of strategic partnership. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Admittedly, we need to mobilize resources and mobilize we must, if we are to seriously embark on concrete projects as a matter of urgency. For, what is the use of mobilizing resources if these resources do not enable us to expeditiously carry out major infrastructural works such as, for example, the Dakar-Djibouti railway, the trans-Maghreb highway, the Cape-Cairo highway or railway, the Algiers – Lagos gas pipeline, the Inga dam, the bridges across River Gambia and River Senegal, the bridge linking Brazzaville and Kinshasa etc.? What is the use of mobilizing resources if such resources do not allow us to quickly implement major programmes designed to fight hunger by transforming, for example, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa into special major production zones, at a time when many Sahel and East African countries are threatened with food crisis? The Niger Appeal, is now more relevant than ever before and deserves a greater gesture on the part of African and international solidarity, given the urgency of the situation. What is the use of mobilizing resources if they do not make it possible for us to embark on major programmes designed to protect the environment, combat desertification like, for example, Mr. Chairman, your green wall project along the Sahara, a project in which could participate our national services and armed forces? What is the use of mobilizing resources if they do not enable us to guarantee the survival of the African child, protect our populations against pandemics and epidemics and manufactured drugs locally? Why accept and give the impression that the resources mobilized today are sufficient to carry out meaningful development activities? Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, We need to mobilize over many years and within the context of the NEPAD Programme, substantial resources that exist but which are directed to other sectors. Between 1958 and 2002, the official development assistance given by the 22 OECD countries amounted to US$1,250 billion. This sum represents the world's military expenditure in a year. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, As a matter of fact, we need to implement macro-economic policies so as to be able to better manage our economies and mobilize additional resources. However, we must go beyond the poverty reduction policies if we are to effectively combat poverty; we must refuse to condemn the poor man to perpetual poverty; we must refuse the fatality of poverty, discard the idea of conquering external markets and conquer instead our local markets, strengthen the endogenous bases of our development and dispense with the logic of "catching up". There is nothing utopian about the projects referred to above; they are not projects that can be realized overnight; they are projects that must be shared and which we must ensure are shared; they are projects which we must launch and ensure that they are devoid of the "make-shift" and "haphazardness" that are so characteristic of ongoing projects. Indeed, we must ask ourselves questions as to whether our structures are viable and perhaps set up committees of Heads of State and sponsors (assisted by technical committees) to push all these projects forward; committees such as, for example, the existing Committees of Heads of State to deal effectively with certain conflicts, while ensuring as a matter of necessity, the co-ordination of all activities around the AU Commission. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, As I mentioned earlier, all these projects are long-term projects. It is the work of several generations. Our generation must play its part; it must play its role by clearing the field and sowing the seeds. By so doing, it lays a solid foundation which will be a sure guarantee of success. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are aware of the fundamental role that the institutions of the African Union, especially the Commission, must play in the definition and realization of these programmes, which is why we have embarked on a major institutional transformation programme because we need an effective organization free of bureaucratic red tape; a real Pan-African organization which is more committed, more collective, more professional and more modern. This, no doubt, will enable us to reduce the impact of red tape, for the most part explainable, in the establishment of new structures and in the recruitment process. We also have in the programme of the second half of 2005 essential activities, among others, which should help put the Commission on a sound footing and promote integration. In this connection, mention can be made of: • The consolidation of the successful launch, thanks to the support of the Algerian Government, of the Algiers-based African Centre for Combating Terrorism and the effective establishment, before September, of the Secretariat for the Co-ordination of Intelligent Services within the Commission. • A meeting of experts slated for the end of July in Addis Ababa around the Pan-African telecommunications satellite network linking the 53 African States and forming E-Services notably in the areas of education and health, with the help of India. • The Conference of African Airlines, as decided during the meeting of African Ministers in charge of Air Transport held in Johannesburg last May, and which will take place in Tunis next October in collaboration with the African Development Bank to help improve air travel in Africa. • The meeting of producers of raw materials on the sidelines of the seminar on raw materials organized with the United Nations Fund for Primary Commodities, scheduled to take place in Arusha, Tanzania in November 2005, with the aim of creating associations for various raw materials and facilitating cooperation among producers. • The meeting of Ministers of Health in August in Mozambique, and in October in Botswana designed to, among other things, relaunch the campaigns against the major pandemics, AIDS, Malaria and poliomyelitis, and to study all the various possibilities of producing generic drugs in Africa. • The 1 st Pan-African Cultural Congress and the meeting of African Ministers of Culture in Nairobi, Kenya in November to prepare the Khartoum Summit whose main theme is Education and Culture. The Summit will launch the African Year of Languages and the Bamako-based African Language Academy. • The World Summit on Information Society due to take place in Tunis from 18 to 20 November 2005. • The meetings of experts/project sponsors and of Ministers to be held in Cairo in the second half of 2005 with the support of the Government of Egypt, during which will be launched the Pan-African radio and television project which could become the voice of Africa. Between the 17 to 18 June 2005, a meeting of African Ministers in charge of immigration held in Tripoli. This meeting encouraged the RECs to promote the free circulation of persons in their regions as ECOWAS is doing. It is commendable that at this meeting some countries announced their intention to unilaterally open their frontiers. It is also important that the issue of immigration was discussed. This issue which concerns all African countries and not merely those of the North should be more thoroughly examined, because besides political solutions or solidarity, no policing or solely security measures can provide a lasting solution to the problem. The project of an African passport, which will begin with diplomatic passports to be delivered progressively, with all security guarantees, would soon be a reality. It will be a symbol of our integration project and herald the future passport of the citizens of the African Union. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, To take on these challenges, we need everyone's support, especially that of our partners. Their great presence at this assembly, their material and financial support to our programmes, the accreditation of many countries to the AU are all proof of their commitment to Africa as well as an acknowledgment of AU leadership. We are always happy to have in our midst, our Brother Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, this great citizen of the world, this great African. We are grateful to the United Nations for its support to our Continent in all domains, particularly today, in the management of conflicts. Tribute to the UN Peace Keeping Forces! Our Brother, Mahmoud Abbas, Abou Mazen, successor to our beloved Abou Amar Yasser Arafat, is the great leader of the great people of Palestine to whom our solidarity in their just and noble cause shall never fail. The presence at this summit of Jose Manual Barosso, President of the European Union Commission and with him, Mr. Javier Solana and Louis Michel is proof of the constant commitment to Africa of the EU, desirous as we are, of a strategic partnership, a partnership between neighbours, that is strong, equitable, and based on mutual respect and mutual interests. Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, great African, great Arab, is the symbol of this much needed Afro-Arab fraternity for our continent, this country of Black people and from which hail today about 70% of Arabs. Partner Friends, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The AU will live up to your expectations. It will bring its contribution to bear on the reforms of the United Nations, indispensable reforms that should permeate the entire system: the Secretariat General, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, all organs and, of course, the Security Council. The reforms should democratize all the institutions of the United Nations, especially the Bretton Woods Institutions and continue to promote conditions favourable for development, especially the development of the less endowed countries. Your Excellencies Presidents, We have no doubt that under your responsibility it is united Africa that will tackle the issue of these reforms; the reforms will have no real meaning for Africa unless they strengthens its unity, its cohesion, its negotiating capacity, its representation and presence, unless they enable Africa to affirm its strategy of influence. Your Excellency the Acting Chairman, Your Majesty Brother Leader, Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, We need your support above all else. We need your material and financial support: although there has been some progress in the payment of contributions, only 13 countries are up to date with their contributions. There is still about 80 million dollars in contributions yet to be paid. We need the African Union to be an organization of the rule of law because it is founded on law, on the good practice of freedoms among which are the fundamental freedoms of expression and of the press; there are still many texts pending which have been approved, but not ratified, not even signed. We especially want conflicts to abate on our continent; that violence on civilian populations comes to an end, and that respect for constitutional legality be strengthened. Countries emerging from political crisis deserve that their difficult political compromises be respected, that there be a return to legality and that we assist legality to assume legitimacy and to strengthen legitimacy with a consensus among the political actors. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Africa needs peace. Our hands are still full with the Sudan and Darfur, and its displaced populations and grave humanitarian crisis. The security situation has however improved, thanks to the efforts of the Sudanese parties, particularly of the Sudanese Government; thanks also to the presence of African peacekeeping troops, our "White helmets" to whom we pay tribute. We should do everything to ensure that the enormous efforts deployed by President Obasanjo and the Committee of 5 Heads of State (Leader Kadhafi, President Deby, President Mubarak, President Bongo) are fruitful and that the Abuja negotiations are crowned with success. We call on our brothers of the rebel movements for a swift and serious conclusion to the accords, counting as they may do on our guidance and that of our partners. On 9 July 2005, the new Sudanese Government from the Naivasha Accords will come into being. This is a victory for the Sudanese people and for Africa. 9 July 2005 might mark the beginning of the will of all the Sudanese parties to take charge of the settlement of their conflicts and to forestall risks in other regions of the Sudan. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The AU will work with IGAD for the stabilization of Somalia, which is in need of our solidarity; Somalia which is one of the symbols of African renaissance. With the United Nations, we will ensure the good conduct, in peace and dialogue, of the transition in the DRC and the disarming of the Interhamwe. In the interest of all Ivorians, and of our Continent, President Mbeki's mediation in Cote D'Ivoire deserves the support of all to be successful. In all other conflict areas, we must remain vigilant and coordination between different actors must be improved and strengthened in order to work towards their resolution. Your Excellency the Acting Chairman, Your Majesty, Brother Leader, Heads of State and Government, More than anyone else, you know that without peace, without political and economic good governance, no amount of money would fundamentally change the present misery of our Continent, a situation which is not a fatality. We see on a daily basis the determination of the youth, women, workers, African businessmen, struggling to make sense of their lives. We have understood your desire to move forward Africa's integration. We, The Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the entire AU staff, we assure you, Mrs. Gertrude Mongella, President of the Pan-African Parliament, Mrs. Wangari Maatai, interim Chairperson of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council, that we are ready, under your leadership, to do everything to keep our commitments. Africa will make it, thanks to her children, to their genius, to the judicious utilization of their heritage, to the restoration of their historic memory, their solidarity and hard work. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, If we won the battles of the past, if we conquered colonization, apartheid, and lay the foundation for national reconstruction, it is because we were united, supportive of each other and because we accepted to fight it out. Fortified by these lessons of history, we should be even more united today, more supportive, more ready to make the effort, if we want a more African Africa, a more responsible Africa, more democratic, a plural and diversified Africa in a more just and collective world. This Africa is possible! This Africa far from being only a risk is an opportunity for the world! This Africa is our country on the move! Success to your deliberations! May God help us! I thank you all! |
