Dina Ezzat listens to Egyptian calls for a greater African role in world affairs in the French Riviera city of Nice President Hosni Mubarak shook hands and hugged his Algerian counterpart Abdel-Aziz Boutaflika while walking into the dining hall, and exchanged courtesies with the heads of the participating 33 African states. In doing so he sent a clear message that any lingering concerns about his health were misplaced. And he used his presence at the Africa-France summit that convened this week in France to fly Egypt's African colours. Speculation that Mubarak would meet with the heads of upstream Nile Basin states, with which Egypt and Sudan are at loggerheads over the division of Nile water, proved ill-founded. Nor did he hold a long sequence of bilateral meetings. Mubarak did, however, stress that Africa figures high on his list of priorities. "We in Africa are convinced that we hold our fates in our own hands and that it is our responsibility to bring peace, security and development to our people," President Mubarak told the Africa-France summit, inaugurated on Monday in Nice. In a short statement made following the inaugural speech of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Mubarak concurred with French calls for closer dialogue between Africa and the rest of the world, insisting that it is only through dialogue that common interests can be achieved and differences resolved. Mubarak complimented France for being "the first country to establish an institutonalised framework with Africa". The partnership between Africa and France, the president added, is not just about past liaisons, but also about "the common desire to complement dialogue, friendship and cooperation". In his speech, and in interventions during the closed working sessions attended by the heads of delegations, Mubarak stressed that the key to furthering cooperation between France and Africa lies in the economic sphere which, he argued, is crucial for Africa's development and its greater participation in the governance of world affairs. "In Africa we have developed mechanisms of cooperation within the framework of the African Union and in the face of many political, economic, security and ecological challenges," Mubarak told the inaugural session. He added that "hard and serious work" was needed "to improve the state of affairs in Africa, through economic programmes that will complement reform and diversity". The president underlined efforts already undertaken to enhance inter-African trade, agricultural and industrial development, food security and cooperation in improving the quality of infrastructure, electricity and water services. "Africa is on the road... the average rate of economic growth among the countries of the continent is five per cent annually, reaching seven per cent in Egypt and some other states," he said. There is a growing conviction across the continent that if well-managed, Africa's wealth of natural resources can contribute to a qualitative change in the level of development in all its countries. According to Mubarak, development is key to ending Africa's marginalisation in the international arena. "It is no longer acceptable that Africa remains marginalised in the international decision- making process... we should insist on playing a more consequential role in decision-making on the political, economic, trade and financial levels," the president said, to which end there should be a more powerful African representation on political and financial world bodies. The president highlighted the importance of "our international partners, particularly France" in consolidating African development efforts, calling for a joint African-French follow up mechanism to be set up to promote continued progress on an agreed work plan for socio- economic cooperation. He also suggested a fund be established to finance specific projects, particularly in relation to human resources. Intervening in the summit's discussions of peace and security issues, Mubarak stressed that the prompt elimination of disputes and conflicts in Africa is essential to future development. He proposed closer cooperation between the African Union Council for Peace and Security and the UN Security Council. "We are prepared to shoulder our responsibilities in handling matters of security and stability in Africa but we still look forward for the support of the international community in this respect," he said. On the fringe of the Nice Summit, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said that Egypt, in its capacity as a leading African nation, will work consistently to ensure that Africa receives greater representation in running world affairs. According to Abul-Gheit, the Africa-France summit -- the 25th of its kind -- presented an opportunity for Egypt to firmly stress its position in cooperation with African partners. Egypt had been scheduled to host the summit, which was moved to France only after differences emerged between Paris and Cairo over the participation of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, accused by the International Criminal Court of committing war crimes in Darfur. Egypt had insisted that it would invite Al-Bashir. France objected, saying this would contradict its international obligations. The French government instead invited "a representative of the Sudanese regime to attend the summit". Egypt is now expected to host the next summit, in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2013. "I am looking forward [on behalf of] Egypt to welcoming you to the next summit," Mubarak said. Mubarak's term in office expires in the autumn of 2011 and Sarkozy's in the summer of 2012. Neither president has said whether they intend to be the candidates of their respective parties in the next presidential elections.
