AU President Calls for Economic Empowerment, Peaceful Resolution of Disputes

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, July 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea's President, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the current chairman of the African Union (AU), criticized non-African powers for using force in the name of humanitarianism and criticized his fellow Africans for maintaining systems that do not offer opportunities to their citizens.

In welcoming remarks at the 17th African Union Summit yesterday in Equatorial Guinea's capital, President Obiang singled out "interventions for humanitarian reasons [that] are currently causing a massive scourge to humanity in some parts of the world.  The many victims, among them women and children, the displaced people, and the destruction of economic infrastructure do not justify these interventions," he said.  "The result is that instead of resolving the conflicts of the world, we are complicating and worsening them."

"Africa desires that countries and organizations from outside Africa that have the power to use force not intervene to resolve African conflicts without a previous consensus with Africa," he continued.

Throughout the first six months of his AU presidency, President Obiang has struck a consistent theme urging Africa to take more political and financial responsibility for resolving its problems and managing its institutions.  He continued that theme in remarks that urged economic growth, youth empowerment, peaceful resolution of disputes, and upgrading the capabilities of the African Union.  He also offered his country's resources to host the headquarters of the African Youth Corps.

President Obiang praised the nations of Sudan and Somalia for accepting negotiated solutions to their conflicts and appealed to both nations to respect the terms of the agreements they signed.

"The African Union has never advocated war, but rather, dialogue for the solution of international conflicts, because war results in destruction and calamity," President Obiang said.  

He continued to say that countries in Africa and elsewhere with resources need to assist economically weak states, but he called the need to give citizens the tools for economic empowerment "a shared political and moral obligation of Africa and the developed world."

President Obiang said, "The  stability of a country depends fundamentally on the availability of economic resources that sustain the lives of its people, that enable access to education, health services, potable water, environmental development, and other conditions that give dignity to man.

"We regret having to recognize that most African countries are still built on inflexible foundations that do not give citizens access to these indispensable services, to guarantee peace and stability on the continent.  'An empty sack cannot stand on its own,' a situation that we together, Africa and the developed world, must resolve as a shared political and moral obligation, offering sincere assistance to economically weak states.

"However, underdevelopment does not allow African leaders to exempt themselves from the responsibility to adopt effective mechanisms to guarantee the peace and security of their nations, one more thing to keep in mind when they make decisions that affect them."

About Equatorial Guinea

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial) is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. In the late-1990s, American companies helped discover the country's oil and natural gas resources, which only within the last five years began contributing to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa. The country will host the 2011 Summit of the African Union. For more information, visit http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com.

SOURCE Republic of Equatorial Guinea