Ghanaian President and Head of the African Union, John Kufuor (R), talks with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi (C) and the Leader of the African Union Commission Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare, at the International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana, on the third and last day of the 9th edition of the Head of State and Government Summit of the African Union. African leaders were struggling Tuesday to agree on a road map for a closer union at the end of a summit that exposed deep rifts over how fast they should move towards integration
Accra, July 1, GNA - The 9th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) opened in Accra, Ghana, on Sunday.
President John Agyekum Kufuor, President of AU; President Alpha Oumar Konare, President of the African Commission, and Dr Ahmed Esmat abd al-Meguid, Secretary General of the Arab League, addressed the opening session.
Dr Rose Asha-Mirigo, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, read Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-Moon's speech while China formally presented a miniscule of the new AU complex it has promised to build for the Union at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A number of African Heads of State and Government are in Accra for the Summit. They include President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria; Prime Minister P. Mosisili of Lesotho and Dr Isatou Njie, Vice President of The Gambia; President Francois Bozize of Central African Republic; President Abdolaye Wade of Senegal; President Pedro Pireriz of Cape Verde; President Levi Mwanawasa of Zambia and Deputy Prime Minister Pee Pee Jaun Ahmed of Mauritius.
Also present are President Ravaloma Nana of Madagascar and President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso; President Umar Yar-Adua of Nigeria; President Faure Nyasingbe of Togo and President Sidi Mohammed Ould Cheikh Abdullahi of Mauritania.
The others are President Sassou Ngueso of Congo Brazzaville; President Yayi Boni of Benin; President Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea; Prime Minister Absalom Dlamini of Swaziland; President Iddris Debbie of Chad and President Mohammed Abdelaziz of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
The rest are President Ahmed Mohammed Sambi of Comoros Island; President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi; President Moi Kabaki of Kenya; President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and President Omar Bongo of Gabon.
Fifty-two African Heads of State and Government or their representatives are in Ghana to participate in the Session from July 1 to July 3 2007.
The Summit is discussing the creation of a union government for Africa.
