Libyan proposal for unity under one government is rejected

Chad's President Idriss Debi waves as he arrives with his wife for the African Union summit in Accra.
The African Union Heads of State Summit closed in Accra Ghana yesterday with moderates defeating a proposal for immediate establishment of a United States of Africa.

Chad's President Idriss Debi waves as he arrives with his wife for the African Union summit in Accra.
But the final resolution, which had not been read by the time we went to press was expected to take a middle-ground position between the radicals, fronted by Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi, and a larger group of moderate countries, including Kenya, that advocated a gradual and structured approach to the goal of a continental government.
The African Union Commission, the Nation learnt, would be tasked with carrying out further studies on the steps required towards full economic and political integration, while individual states would be expected to carry out internal hearings so that their citizens can make an input into what has been dubbed the “Great Debate”.
Regional economic and political commissions such as SADC, EAC, COMESA, and ECOWAS would also be asked to speed up free movement of goods and labour, common services, customs and monetary unions and other steps towards m ore complete integration.
But the issue of establishment of a United States of Africa government was effectively put on hold.
President Kibaki was among the leaders who addressed the Summit on Monday and called for a cautious and structured approach towards the goal of unity. The position was shared by most of the other leaders who spoke in support of union, but cautioned against a premature rush towards establishing an African government before the shape and pace of such a move had been agreed on.
The President was not present during the final day of the Summit yesterday having flown out of Accra at 10.30 in the morning.
The seats for the Kenya delegation were occupied by assistant ministers Moses Wetangula, Kembi Gitura and Henry Obwocha.
Other countries that opposed the Libyan push for immediate union were Uganda, South Africa and the rest of the bloc whose position was represented by Lesotho, Nigeria.
Supporting Libya for accelerated steps towards union were Ethiopia, Chad and Senegal, although they also conceded the need for proper modalities.
President Kibaki addressed the Summit on Monday supporting the principle of African Union, but stressing the need for a methodical approach towards unity.
He cautioned: “the creation of a supranational union will require enormous resources and consensus on the modalities of achieving such a goal”.
He told the summit that Kenya is already started the process of examining how a union government can be attained. The country, he said, has started consultative sessions involving various stakeholders, recently held an experts conference and a public forum to deliberate on the proposed continental union government.
He said most of the participants agreed that African needs to unite in order to accelerate growth and development by allowing free movement of people, goods and services across the continent.
He urged continental leaders implement an long-standing proposal for introduction of an African passport.
The president noted that though the call for an African government were widely supported, there were divergent views on the pace this process should take.
As the president was addressing the Summit, aides of President Gadaffi were handing out a booklet singling out Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria as the countries most opposed to immediate union.
President Gaddafi addressed the closing session yesterday, speaking for more than an hour, after having skipped the opening day.
The Libyan leader caused a stir ahead of the conference in Ghana by travelling through several neighbouring countries demanding immediate formation of a union government and dismissing the AU as a useless organisation.
President Kibaki had the previous night presented Kenya’s self-assesment report on the African Peer Review Mechanism programme of action for the country.
While almost all the 53 member nations agree with the goal of African economic integration and eventual unity, most of the summit leaders want this to be a gradual process, adds Reuters.
In a speech to the summit on Tuesday, Gaddafi proposed a referendum to settle the issue. The Libyan leader, who calls himself a soldier for Africa, says the decision should be made by the African masses and not leaders in conference halls.
“We ask all the heads of state to hold a referendum so that they will see that all the people want a United States of Africa,” Gaddafi said. Conference sources said Gaddafi appeared conciliatory in his speech, as did South African President Thabo Mbeki, the leader of the gradualist group.
The summit seemed to be trying hard to avoid any appearance of a crisis over the divisive issue. But it looked like going into Tuesday evening in the search for a face-saving formula.
Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade strongly promoted the creation of a union government when he spoke to journalists on Monday night.
“There is no salvation for Africa outside political unity. ... If we remain fragmented into little states, we will remain weak, politically weak,” he said.
Asked about earlier Senegalese threats that a group of five or six states could forge ahead with federation, Wade said: “Theoretically, it is not excluded ... but I don’t think we’ll be going in that direction.
“If the conference as a whole makes progress towards a government that it calls a continental government , a union government ... that will create a basis that we can accept.”
But the position of Wade, Gaddafi and their supporters is far from that of the majority gradualist group.
“In Uganda, we are not in favour of forming a continental government now,” said President Yoweri Museveni, one of the more outspoken members of that group, based around the Anglophone southern and eastern blocs.
Mr Museveni said that while economic integration was possible, people from different regions of Africa were incompatible politically and forcing them together would create tension.
“I salute the enthusiasm of those who advocate for continental government now. I however, do not want us to move from one mistake – Balkanisation –to another mistake of oversimplification of very complex situations,” Museveni said.
Umaru Yar’Adua, newly elected president of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, also came down on the side of gradualism.
Lesotho’s Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili summed up the view of the moderates: “Even as we pursue this noble objective, we cannot ignore the factors that militate against it.”
He said surrender of national sovereignty was a “tall order”.