African Union vehicle to address continental challenges:Meles

Addis Ababa, Feb. 3(ENA)--The African Union is a vehicle for the overcoming of the multi-faceted challenges facing the continent, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.

Speaking at the opening of the First Extraordinary Summit of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) here on Monday, Meles said nothing short of the strongest unity among the African countries would do to solve the socio-economic problems of the continent.

''What we face is a veritable life and death struggle to ensure our future and the viability of our continent,'' he said.

Meles also expressed his gratitude to the Heads of State and Government for having honored Ethiopia by choosing once again Addis Ababa as the seat of the African Union.

''This is a historic gathering because it is for the first time, since the coming into force of the Constitutive Act and of the launching of the AU in Durban, that African leaders are meeting in Addis Ababa, the cradle of African Unity and a city intimately associated with keeping alive the spirit of Pan-Africanism,'' he said.

Meles said the government and people of Ethiopia would leave no stone unturned to continue making Addis Ababa a truly African capital, which all Africans would continue to look at as their second city and as a symbol of African Unity and solidarity.

''It is a unique and singular blessing for this generation of Ethiopians that the opportunity is given to us to renew, at an even higher level, the commitment made in the early 1960's by our predecessors to African Unity and solidarity,'' he said.

The Prime Minister said that it was a responsibility that Ethiopians cherish, and which they would continue to discharge without fail.

President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who is also chairperson of the African Union, said on his part that the Extraordinary Session was being held as per the decision of the Durban Inaugural Summit to consider any proposed amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

Mbeki also urged African leaders to move with a great sense of purpose towards the eradication of poverty and backwardness in Africa in meeting the objectives set in NEPAD and by ensuring the effective functioning of the Regional Economic Communities.

''The decisions we take today will have to live up to the expectations of our people for democracy, peace, development and prosperity,'' Mbeki said.

Interim chairperson of the Commission of the AU, Amara Essy said the present Extraordinary Summit was being held at a time when significant progress in the area of peace, security and stability are taking place in Africa as well as within the continental organization.

Some of the prevailing conflict situations in the continent, however, were distressing, he said, adding they required the decision of the Heads of State and government to convene concurrently with the present session a Summit of the Central Organ to deliberate on some of the conflict situations.

The Interim chairperson said the Commission of the AU managed to finalize draft recommendations on the proposed structure of the Commission, human resource requirements, the conditions of service of staff and its financial implications.

Essy has also called upon member States to accelerate the process of the signing and ratification of protocols establishing the Pan African Parliament as well as the Peace and Security Council, which he said were key organs in enhancing active participation of Africans and maintaining peace and stability in the continent.

The two-day Extraordinary Summit of the Assembly of the African Union would mainly consider the recommendations put forth to it by the Executive Council on the amendments of the Constitutive Act of the African Union

(END)