Saudi Crown Prince, Iranian president discuss regional developments in Eid phone call    Rain expected in Makkah and Jeddah on Saturday    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    China retaliates against Trump's trade war with 34% reciprocal tariffs on US goods    Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli escalation, targeting of civilians and Saudi warehouse in Gaza    Danish PM dismisses US desire to annex Greenland 'You cannot annex another country'    Macron lashes out against Trump's 'brutal' tariffs, calls for a pause in investment    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    New Laws of Commercial Registration and Trade Names take effect on Thursday    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Gaddafi pushes for union after election to head AU
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 02 - 02 - 2009


Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
was elected chairman of the African Union on Monday, according to Reuters.
Resplendent in golden robes and cap and hailed as "king of
kings" by traditional African leaders who accompanied him,
Gaddafi accepted a gavel from the outgoing chairman, Tanzanian
President Jakaya Kikwete, at a summit in Ethiopia.
He told fellow summit leaders that his project to create a
united continental government would be approved at the next
meeting in July unless there was a majority against it.
The AU normally relies on consensus in reaching decisions.
"If we don't have a quorum for rejection, that means we have
accepted it," Gaddafi said.
Gaddafi's election was treated almost like a coronation by a
group of 30 customary African leaders dressed in colourful robes
and headgear who accompanied him to the conference hall at his
invitation.
"On behalf of the traditional kings, on behalf of all the
sultans, on behalf of all the princes, on behalf of all the
customary rulers, I want to say thank you to the King of Kings
who we have now crowned," their unidentified leader said.
The group attended a conference sponsored by Gaddafi in
Libya last September.
Gaddafi, supported by some AU members like Senegal's
Abdoulaye Wade, has been pushing for a unity government for
years, saying it is the only way to meet the challenges of
globalisation, fighting poverty and resolving conflicts without
Western interference.
But others, led by regional economic powerhouse South
Africa, see the idea as a distant and impractical prospect that
would infringe the sovereignty of member states, although all 53
members of the AU say they agree with the idea in principle.
An often heated three-day summit devoted to Gaddafi's
project in Ghana in 2007 did not reach a deal despite the
participants being berated by the fiery Libyan leader.
The first day of this summit on Sunday again pulled back
from accelerating the process.
Kikwete told reporters the meeting had agreed to replace the
African Union Commission with an "authority" rather than an
immediate pan-regional government as it had proposed. This would
be launched at the next summit in July.
He said this would move it closer to a federal government
but he was vague on how much real new power the authority would
have.


Clic here to read the story from its source.