Museveni against USA

Accra, July 3, GNA - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has stated that his country is not in favour of forming a continental government now saying insisting on political integration would bring together incompatible linkages that may create tension rather than cohesion.

"I salute the enthusiasm of those who advocate for continental government now," he said.

"I, however, do not want us to move from one mistake - balkanization - to another mistake of oversimplification of very complex situations," he added in his speech to his colleagues at the African Union Summit, which ends on Tuesday at the Accra International Conference Centre.

The continent is split between radicals led by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who want a continental government now and the gradualists led by South African President Thabo Mbeki who want a step-by-step approach.

President Museveni said with the discrediting of the position of the conservatives who wanted the status quo to remain at the birth of the Organization of African Union in 1963, the two pan-African positions left now were continental government now or regional political federations where possible in addition to continental economic integration as envisaged in the Abuja Treaty.

African leaders gathered in Accra are expected to come out with a statement on the subject of Union Government for Africa, which is the single agenda for the Summit.

President Museveni, who is known for his revolutionary ideas, said while economically he supported integration with everybody, "politically we should only integrate only with people who are either similar or compatible with us".

"The whole of Africa has got some obvious incompatibilities when it comes to political integration," he cautioned.

President Museveni, whose country is in East Africa, referred to the experience of the sub-region, which had for a long time talked about and had been working towards a political federation, and said its people and language were linked.

He said other areas of Africa that felt they had a comparative degree of similarity or compatibility could also work for political integration.

"Insisting on political integration at the continental level will bring together incompatible linkages that may create tension rather than cohesion.

"This will, especially, be so if you bring together groups which want to impose their identity on others. I cannot give up my identity for anything. Even the European slave traders and colonialists failed to destroy our heritage - language and way of life."

President Museveni said the recommendation of his East African nation was that Africa took a "functions-based, rational approach". He said there were definitely functions that could best be done at the continental level and listed the environment, trade negotiations, managing a defence pact and later on managing and promoting African common market.

"If the African Commission could concentrate on these four instead of being everywhere and nowhere, we would start moving forward. We are wasting too much time pushing unsearched positions," President Museveni said.