African Union summit opens in Ethiopia

Medeshi Feb 2, 2009
African Union summit opens in Ethiopia
The African Union's 12th summit opened Sunday in Ethiopia with an agenda officially focused on infrastructure development but overshadowed by conflict and hunger on the continent.
The 53-nation body's summit of heads of state and government got under way in the Ethiopian capital behind closed doors and without any formal opening ceremony, an AFP correspondent reported.
The official agenda focused on infrastructure and development, while recent coups in west Africa and conflicts around the region also demanded leaders' attention.
But their first day of talks Sunday centres on the eventual creation of a "United States of Africa".
As the continent continues to struggle from economic underachievement and a seemingly never-ending cycle of political strife, plans of integration have long garnered verbal support but have always failed to materialise.
This year, analysts expect no exception.
"The union government is an issue which is deadlocked at the moment," said Delphine Lecoutre, a researcher specializing on the continental bloc.
"There is a clear lack of will on the part of many member states, they are really frightened by the possibility of being under a union government. They would want to safeguard their sovereignty by all means," she says.