African leaders reject Europe trade deal
By BARRY HATTON, Associated Press Writer
Most African leaders have rejected European Union proposals for a free-trade
deal that would replace colonial-era trading systems, Senegal's president
said Sunday at a summit marred by disputes over Zimbabwe and Darfur.
The two-day meeting in Lisbon had been seen as a chance to push for progress
on the deals known as European Partnership Agreements, or EPAs.
"It was said several times during the plenary session and it was said again
this morning: African states reject the EPAs," Senegalese President
Abdoulaye Wade said in angry comments at a news conference.
Wade said he and South African President Thabo Mbeki had led African
opposition to the EU's proposals which, he said, "aren't in Africa's
interest."
He did not provide details.
His tone of indignation reflected an increasingly tense atmosphere at the
end of a summit that was intended to foster a new era of close relations
between Europe and Africa.
The meeting between leaders of the 53-member African Union and 27-nation EU
was their first in seven years.
As it opened Saturday, deep differences over the human rights record of
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and over measures to end the conflict in
the western Sudanese region of Darfur were evident.
Asked what his message to Europe was as he arrived at the summit venue
Sunday, Mugabe said nothing, but raised his arm and made a fist.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday the EU was "united" in
condemning Mugabe for what they view as his economic mismanagement, failure
to curb corruption and contempt for democracy. British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown stayed away from the summit in protest of Mugabe's attendance.
Measures to help end the conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur
brought another point of contention. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has
so far refused to allow non-Africans into a 26,000-strong U.N.-A.U.
peacekeeping force planned for Darfur. EU nations, meanwhile, have failed to
come up with the military hardware needed to support the operation.
On trade, the EU wants to meet a Dec. 31 deadline set by the World Trade
Organization for replacing its trading system with former European colonies
around the world, including in Africa. The WTO has ruled that the EU's
30-year-old preferential trade agreement with Africa was unfair to other
trading nations and violated international rules.
The negotiations have lasted five years and officials had hoped the summit
would bring a breakthrough.
During previous talks, African governments have said the agreements would do
little to boost their access to European markets. They also viewed the
conditions as an EU attempt to meddle in African affairs.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso acknowledged the
difficulty of reaching free-trade deals between wealthy European countries
and poor African nations.
"It is a challenge for both Africans and Europeans and will require time,"
Barroso said in a speech to the gathering.
The two sides will press ahead with talks on interim accords with individual
African countries to assure they continue to enjoy privileged access to
European markets, he said.
"We are nearly there and we now need to focus all of our energy to achieve
this priority objective," Barroso said.
The EU says a deal will boost trade and help the development of African
economies. It has warned that nations with which it does not forge new
agreements by January will automatically lose preferential trade privileges
and receive only limited access to EU markets under existing world trade
rules.
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is under anarchy"
Groupe de Communication Mulindwas
"Avec Yoweri Museveni, L'Ouganda East Dans L'anarchie"_______________________________________________
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