Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
Jean-Jacques Cornish
1 November 2002
Johannesburg — The African Union (AU) invited Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana to Pretoria this week to remind him that it still does not accept the general wisdom that the island state has resolved its political crisis.
The youthful leader went up a red carpet into President Thabo Mbeki's office, but he was taken out by a side door. He was pointedly referred to throughout as "Mr" rather than "president".
Asked about recognition and admission to the AU, Ravalomanana insisted: "They will do it. I am sure. That's why we are here."
The AU leaders -- Mbeki, Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa and Mozambique's Prime Minister Pascal Mocumbi -- were all smiles as they saw him to the door. It was left to Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to explain why they had sent him home empty handed.
The troika leaders -- representing the past, present and future chairmen of the AU -- plan to give a similar hearing to the Arema Party of Didier Ratsiraka who disputed the outcome of last December's election in Madagascar.
Ratsiraka went into exile in France earlier this year after months of fighting on the island.
Arema will contest the National Assembly elections on December 15.
Ravalomanana, backed by a judgement of his country's Constitutional Court, has resisted the AU calls for him to hold fresh presidential elections.
Asked whether events had not overtaken the AU troika's mandate to help Madagascar overcome its political problems, Dlamini-Zuma said: "That is why we had this meeting and why we plan to see Arema representatives.
"If they have sorted this matter out, we will take it from there."
Whatever happens, the decision on whether to admit Madagascar cannot be taken before the extraordinary summit of the AU scheduled for January at a venue yet to be decided.
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