Senegalese FM Makes Case for Union Government

(PANA)--Senegal’s senior Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, has said African Union member states that are ready for the establishment of a Union Government should be allowed to go ahead without further delay.

‘’At Sharm El Sheikh, the (member) states must bring an answer to the (key) question as to whether it is possible to go towards the federal government with 53 states," Mr. Gadio said in an interview with PANA ahead of Monday’s opening of the AU summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh.

‘’This must be taken into account and those who are ready to go for a federal government should be asked to do so. There is need for (an) approach that makes it possible for the 13, even 15 states which are ready to move towards a Union government," he added.

The issue of Union Government has divided the members states along the lines of those advocating its immediate establishment and those who are calling for a gradual approach.

Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi, a key advocate of Union Government. recently accused the gradualists of blocking Africa’s unity, and threatened to name the leaders who, he said, are frustrating the take-off of the Union Government.

The Senegalese Minister, himself a key advocate of setting up the Union Government now, said the issue would pose some difficulties during the summit in Egypt, adding: ‘’I am not sure there is going to be a common position.’’

He recalled that the summit of Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), which took place recently in Cotonou, Benin, had issued a resolution calling for the immediate putting in place of a Union government.

But the Minister warned that failure to act now on the issue of Union Government could further hinder Africa’s unity, as some North African countries are ready to move towards the Mediterranean Union, an organisation that will be officially launched 1 July in Paris during a summit bringing together the leaders of the member countries.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gadio has denounced what he termed a "crazy" schedule of the AU summit.

‘’Fifty items on the agenda of the Executive Council..is not rational. We cannot settle all the problems in one summit,’’ he said, giving as an example the summit of the European Union (EU), which usually last a few hours.

The Senegalese Minister went further: ‘’There is a lot of work to be done by way of reforming our working methods, losing less time and saving money.

‘’Mobilising ministers and heads of state for four days is an uphill task and there is no obvious guarantee that such a move will be efficient.’’

Commenting on the new chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Gabonese Jean Ping, the Senegalese Minister said Ping’s willingness to reform the organisation had been hampered by the fact that he has devoted much time to managing conflicts, hence ‘’has not been able to ponder over the commission’s reforms".

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