EU, African leaders try to tackle war, terrorism

EU, African leaders try to tackle war, terrorism

CAIRO (AFP): European and African leaders entered their last day of unprecedented summit talks on Tuesday expecting to tackle war, terrorism and human rights after Libya's Moammar Qaddafi stunned them with an anti-Western tirade.

With only a day ahead of them, presidents, prime ministers and kings were also to debate a dozen other tough problems, such as economic development and poverty elimination in Africa, the world's poorest continent.

In the first summit aimed at forging a "new strategic partnership" between European countries and their former colonies, the 60-odd leaders will adopt a final declaration and a plan of action for future ties.

Foreign ministers, in a pre-summit weekend meeting, had drafted the declaration, finding formulas to overcome discord on how to relieve Africa's US$350-billion debt, returning stolen artifacts and removing landmines.

Further bilateral meetings were also expected on Tuesday, including between Qaddafi and European leaders such as Gerhard Schroeder, despite the Libyan leader's tirade during Monday's opening session.

"Most likely Kadhafi will talk and the chancellor will listen," in a scheduled 10-minute session, a German source said on condition he not be named.

In the last speech on opening day, Qaddafi denounced capitalism, accused Europeans of hypocrisy in their position on African conflicts and urged them to expel the U.S. Navy from the Mediterranean.

European Commission President Romano Prodi said he was "strongly disappointed" with Qaddafi's speech after he had taken what he called a bold step to meet personally with Qaddafi, long branded the head of a terrorist state.

Prodi's spokesman Ricardo Levi said the private talks earlier in the day between Qaddafi and Prodi as well as other European leaders had been seen as a chance to assess Libya's "new ideas" after it began to rebuild bridges with Europe.

The summit had opened with speeches calling for cooperation and renewal in relations.

In his keynote speech to the 15 EU and 50-odd African leaders, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said: "We do look forward not to secure more aid, but rather to develop our mutual partnership and cooperation program."

Africans, Mubarak said, have made "sustained efforts" -- including greater political and economic freedom -- to better their lot in the past decade, and they expected Europeans to lend a strong helping hand.

The summit's ultimate goal, in EU eyes, is for Africa to take its rightful place in the emerging global economy -- if it can slash poverty, and its debt -- with economic and democratic reform.

"It is our profound wish that this most meaningful occasion should represent a moment of renewal in the relations between our two neighboring continents," said Prime Minister Antonio Guterres of Portugal, which holds the EU presidency.

He said it was unacceptable and unsustainable that Africa has been the "main victim" of unfair global relationships.

Some countries announced concrete moves on Monday to tackle the debt problem.

France said that it would cancel the whole of the bilateral debt owed it by the poorest countries, while Germany said it would cancel $350 million in debt owed by nearly 30 countries over the next three years.

Both expressed the hope that other creditor countries would follow suit.