Next week's African Union Summit could mark a turning point for the continent, writes Ibrahim Nafie On 30 and 31 January the Nigerian capital is set to host the fourth regular session of the African Union's summit. President Hosni Mubarak will participate in the summit, giving further impetus to the efforts of Africa's leaders to enhance the role played by the union's various institutions. President Mubarak's decision to attend is part of an integrated political vision that seeks to strengthen Egypt's role in African affairs. Egypt is one of the five founding members of the NEPAD initiative, an attempt to encourage cooperation between African nations and the international community, and in 1998 became a full member of COMESA. Following successful Egyptian efforts to include peace and security programmes within COMESA's remit, the association was able to transcend a purely economic framework to work towards promoting regional stability, a task aided by the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa which has been actively training new generations of African cadres and providing technical assistance across the continent. Intensive Egyptian activities carried out both through the African Union's institutional bodies and the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa are clear evidence of Cairo's desire to increase the scope and depth of its cooperation with African countries in a way that will enhance their joint ability to negotiate with similar blocs elsewhere. Any honest appraisal of Egyptian policy over the last two decades makes a mockery of accusations that it has ignored the continent. Egypt's profound concern over Africa has never waned. There have been periods when circumstances compelled Egypt to shift its foreign policy focus towards regional and international developments but this never amounted to a belittlement of Africa. Egypt continues to view Africa as an important sphere of foreign policy, and as vital to national security. President Mubarak's participation in the Nigerian summit presents an opportunity to cement pan-African cooperation in the interests of all the continent's countries. The summit agenda contains many topics, some of which concern sub-Saharan countries, such as the spread of AIDS, and others linked to frameworks for regional cooperation, in particular rounding off work on the AU's institutional bodies. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a grave public health crises such as malaria, tuberculosis, polio and AIDS continue to spread. In assessing the extent of the threat facing the inhabitants of the region we must examine some frightening statistics. An estimated 40 per cent of sub-Saharan Africans are infected with HIV, accounting for 70 per cent of the world total. It is essential that a joint African position be reached on how to prevent the spread of the disease and to demand that the international community shoulder its responsibilities and provide the necessary medicines at prices Africans can afford. Several African leaders, including Nelson Mandela who, only weeks ago lost his son to this terrible illness, have already made suggestions in this regard. Other respected figures have made great efforts to convince industrialised nations to bear some of the costs of fighting this and other illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa. Clearly, we have to deal with health as an African issue, as one that concerns the whole continent. Taking a collective interest in issues affecting specific countries is the only way to entrench the principle of cooperation across a broad range of different issues. Anything that affects one region of Africa does, after all, impact on the continent as a whole. The second set of issues that will be addressed at the summit are more general in nature. They include combating desertification and ensuring nutritional security, and if efforts are made on a cooperative basis, great things can be achieved. African countries have much cultivatable land and considerable water resources. The problem lies in depleted manpower and resources being under-exploited due to civil war and other such instability. Africa is rich in the basic resources necessary for development but lacks a joint vision for investing in its relative advantages. If such a vision were in place, African countries would be able to provide many of their citizens' basic needs and lay the foundations for a true African renaissance. It is thus urgent that the summit finalise the mechanisms through which its institutional bodies work. These bodies must exhibit equilibrium and balanced representation, to which end it is essential we respond to the request of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and fill the positions set aside for Egypt on these bodies. It is time to ensure a genuine and effective Egyptian presence in the AU. The time has come for Egyptian experts to change their views regarding the union. If we are genuine in our desire for a strong and effective role for Egypt in a continent that is a natural extension of our natural security, then this must be reflected in the attitudes of our most talented individuals. The gathered leaders will also discuss questions of reform and the possibility of enlarging the UN Security Council. They will examine the report compiled by foreign ministers based on the ideas of the African working group -- comprising permanent representatives to the United Nations in New York -- on Africa's position regarding recommendations presented to Koffi Annan last December on UN reform. AU leaders will debate two options for enlarging the Security Council. Both agree on raising the number of seats on the council from 15 to 24, and that Africa should be allotted three non- permanent seats. But they differ on the number of permanent seats to be created. The first option would add six permanent seats without the right of veto, whereas the second would create a new category, the semi- permanent seat. There would be eight semi- permanent seats with tenure of four years that could then be renewed for another four- year term but no longer. Both options suggest that Africa should be given two permanent or semi-permanent seats. Vis-�-vis this, and other issues, African countries must maintain a united front. If Africa adopts an approach based on cooperation and a joint vision it is bound to come out a winner. Indulging in inexcusable rivalries can only have a negative impact. If cooperation and mutual understanding is allowed to prevail then a joint vision can be reached over distributing Africa's seats in a manner that fairly reflects the continent's diverse cultures, ethnicities and civilisations.
