Mauritius wants to Hold the July AU Summit

(APA)--Mauritius has proposed to hold the African Union summit which was due to be held in Madagascar in July, Foreign Affairs Minister Arvin Boolell said on Thursday.

He told journalists in Port Louis that as the African Union has suspended Madagascar following the overthrow of the President Marc Ravalomanana, the summit can now be held Mauritius which has facilities to host the meeting. He said the government has already informed the African Union of its wish to host the summit.

He said however that Mauritius will have to compete with Libya as its leader, Colonel Muammar Khadafi has already made it known that his country also wishes to host the summit. Boolell said he believes that the summit should be held in a country of the Indian Ocean region.

Meanwhile, some voices have been raised against the proposal. A high official of a state organisation who requested anonymity stated that though Mauritius has the infrastructure to hold such a summit, it will cost the state a huge amount of money to stage such a meeting. He added that in these difficult days, the government would better spend the money to prop up the tourism industry.

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