Kikwete unmasks what it means to be AU chairman

Mr Kikwete who has since been replaced by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as AU chairman, told of a post whose occupant did not have clear tasks except opening and closing meetings and handing over to the new chairman once his or her term ends.

ADDIS ABABA, Monday

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete today opened the 12th summit of the African Union with a grim message on what he underwent as chairman during his term that started early last year.

At a session that was also addressed by UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, AU Commission chairman Jean Ping and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, Mr Kikwete told of a post whose occupant did not have clear tasks except opening and closing meetings and handing over to the new chairman once his or her term ends.

He also told of a chairman who had no budget and who met his expenses whenever he went on missions on behalf of the African Union.

Mr Kikwete, who served during one of the most turbulent periods and who played a key role in mediating an end to the post-election crisis in Kenya besides the attending to the Zimbabwe election crisis, said that the chairman of the AU did not even have a seat on Africa Peace and Security Council and called for changes that would ensure that any country that held the chairmanship of the AU would get an automatic seat on the council.

Mr Kikwete also called for creation of a ‘’troika’’ system where the chairman can consult with two other member states in case of a crisis.

As he began his speech, Mr Kikwete who has since been replaced by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, called for a minute’s silence in memory of two African leaders who died since the AU held its last summit: Zambia’s Levi Mwanawasa and Guinea’s Lansana Conte.

At the same time, Mr Kikwete welcomed three new leaders: Zambia’s Rupiah Banda, South Africa’s Kgalema Motlanthe and Somalia’s Sheikh Sharif Ahmed who won wide applause at the summit for his rise to the club of the head of state.

To an observer, the post of chairman of the AU looks glamorous but what many don’t know is the fact that the occupant may be spending his own salary or his country’s resources as he/she attends numerous meetings on behalf of the continent.

Today’s opening session saw lengthy speeches from Mr Ban, Mr Ping and Mr Moussa touching mainly on Africa’s many crises in particular Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and the global financial crisis.

The arrest of Congolese warlord Laurent Nkunda was cited by Mr Ping as ‘’heralding promising prospects with regard to return of peace in the region.’’

What happened was that all the speakers touched on just the same issues, among them the fact that the AU is against plans by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) to charge Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with war crimes over the Darfur crisis.

Said Mr Ping: “AU urges suspension of ICC charges on President Bashir for 12 months but, the AU urges an end to the problem of impunity in Darfur.’’

Mr Ping also told of AU anger over the “abusive utilisation’’ of the principle of universal jurisdiction under which African leaders are charged in European courts, or any other courts.

The AU commission chairman also told of a growing problem in West Africa with regard to drug trafficking.

This year the AU had much to rejoice in the improved security situation in Africa, with Burundi, Comoros, Liberia, Central African Republic and Cote d’Ivoire cited as countries that are much more peaceful than at any other time.

Elections or power changeovers have passed peacefully in the last few months. Mr Ping said: “We express our congratulations to Ghana for the peaceful election of professor Atta John Mills as the new president.’’

This summit was supposed to focus on infrastructure development on the continent. Mr Ping said what the AU envisages is a road network that would extend all the way from Dakar in west Africa to Djibouti on the east coast of Africa. He said the African Development Bank had set aside half a billion dollars for the continent’s infrastructure projects.

In his speech, Mr Ban called for a date to be set for elections in Cote d’Ivoire and denounced “unconstitutional changes in Guinea and Mauritania’’.

Mr Ban told of the negative effects of the global financial crisis on African countries and that ways should be found to cushion the least developed countries.