1 February 2008
Addis Ababa — Heads of state from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met on Thursday in Addis Ababa, where they are attending the African Union summit, to receive reports on Zimbabwe and on the current floods in the region.
However, sources close to the meeting told AIM that it did not even conclude the discussion on Zimbabwe, based on a report on the efforts by South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the Zimbabwean government and the two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic change (MDC).
Claims were made that there has been progress in the negotiations, and that the differences between the government and the opposition have been almost overcome.
This optimism contrasts with the oppositions concerns that the government is rushing into elections without proper preparations.
President Robert Mugabe has called presidential and parliamentary elections for 29 March, ignoring the MDC's arguments that a new constitution is a prerequisite for free and fair elections.
SADC Executive Secretary Tomas Salomao was to have presented the report on the southern African floods. He has recently visited the nations worst hit by flooding - Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. But the meeting ran out of time, and will resume as soon as there is another opportunity.
Meanwhile, Salomao has insisted that before there can be any "African Union Government", articulation and communication between the various sub-regional groups, such as SADC or ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) must be strengthened.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi has been insisting on a continental government (or "United States of Africa") and has even threatened to turn his back on Africa, if the AU summit rejects his demand.
Salomao told AIM that in his view an "African Union Government" is something that will happen naturally, and should not be forced. A gradual approach was needed, resting primarily on building up existing communities such as SADC.
"From our point of view, it is still early to advance towards a Union Government", he said. "By ensuring the communications between sub-regional blocks, we may move forward in a gradual process, and then matters such as the full integration of the continent and the Union Government will occur naturally".
Salomao also stressed that, in SADC's view, this AU summit must take a strong position on measures to overcome the crisis in Kenya, and to help that country recover peace and tranquility.
"It will not be a good sign if this summit ends without something being said in order to strengthen the need to advance towards achieving peace in Kenya", he said.
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