Practical outcomes, such as supporting peace initiatives in Africa, are expected from the forthcoming Group of Eight (G8) heads-of-government summit at Gleneagles, Scotland, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday.
”What the operations in Darfur in Sudan have done … is to show that the capacity of the peacemaking, peacekeeping institutions of the African Union are not as strong as they should be,” Mbeki told a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Cape Town.
The three-day Africa Economic Summit deliberately focused on the Commission for Africa report, which recommends a series of far-reaching interventions in Africa.
Mbeki, joined on the platform by Tanzania’s President Benjamin Mkapa, among others, said peacekeeping institutions in Africa have proven to be weak, partly because of their newness.
He said it is necessary to dedicate resources to the strengthening of AU institutions involved in peacekeeping operations, and help prevent logistical obstacles such as those currently experienced in Sudan.
”We are all of us agreed that there must be some practical decisions taken. The issue of peace and security and stability on the continent is critical to its development, and therefore why don’t we generate £50-million … in order to finance these institutions of the African Union so that they are capable of discharging their duties with regard to peace?”
Mbeki, who had just returned from a trip to Washington and consultation with his American counterpart, George Bush, moved to allay concerns that the Bush administration is seemingly not as committed to the reconstruction of the African continent as other G8 nations.
”He [Bush] wasn’t so much talking about it being too much money … When he said that, he wasn’t talking about absence of will on the part of the United States to commit resources that are required,” said Mbeki.
The Bush administration has appeared lukewarm to proposals in the British-inspired Commission for Africa report to double aid to Africa, with Bush reportedly saying that the initiative does not fit into the US’s budgetary process.
”What we came away with from Washington was an understanding of a commitment on the part of President Bush that, indeed, we must go to Gleneagles, but out of Gleneagles must come practical decisions about these matters that are essential to African development,” said Mbeki.
Mbeki said it was important to meet Bush before the G8 summit to help determine what the practical outcomes should be.
He said there seems to be consensus that the time has come to act, with the challenge now being to identify the matters on which there should be action.
Recognising that there is debate among the world’s leading industrial countries on the mechanisms used to arrive at the outcomes, Mbeki nevertheless cautioned against becoming entangled in this debate.
”As Africans, what we would be interested in is the actual outcomes — has there been a doubling of that development assistance and finance? How you do it may be something that might have to be discussed among them [the industrialised countries].”
Mbeki said Africa will, for instance, say that it is necessary to move to cancel debt, at least for the continent’s poorest countries.
Mbeki will take a list of executives of transnational companies who have endorsed the recommendations of the Commission for Africa to Gleneagles, which by noon on Friday tallied 308 from more than 200 companies.
He said this business viewpoint will make a ”material impact” on deliberations at Gleneagles.
Earlier, Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and chairperson, said in welcoming Mbeki that the Cape Town meeting was different from the 14 preceding meetings.
”This meeting really reflected the new paradigms of the 21st century … a new relationship between governments and business. It’s a relationship of partnership. It’s business assuming not only social responsibility, but business acting and engaging as a global citizen.”
The Commission for Africa was launched by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in February last year. The aim of the commission was to take a fresh look at Africa’s past and present and the international community’s role in its development. — Sapa