By NNN-ANGOP
Addis Ababa : Foreign ministers of the African Union’s 53 member countries are meeting here over two days to prepare the agenda for the 10th ordinary session of the AU heads of the State and Government Assembly scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
The Angolan delegation to the meeting, which ends Monday, is being headed by Foreign Minister João Bernardo de Miranda, and includes ambassadors Mawete João Baptista (in the Democrtic Republic of Congo), Alves Primo (Ghana) and Toko Serão (Belgium) as well as other officials.
The meeting’s agenda includes the presentation and discussion of the summit’s theme “Africa’s industrial development”, the reports on the state of the organization and the AU Government project, election of members to the Council of Peace and Security and approval of the organ’s budget for this year.
This will be followed by the candidatures to the posts of chairman of the AU Commission and 10 commissioners, whose spheres of action are: Peace and Security, Political, Economic and Social Issues, Trade and Industry, Infrastructures and Energy, Human Resources, Science and Technology, Rural Economy and Agriculture.
Six candidates are standing to succeed former Malian president Alpha Oumar Konare as chairman of the AU Commission. They are Antoinette Batumubwira (Burundi), Adulai Osman Conteh (Sierra Leone), Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini (Swaziland), Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika (Zambia), Cassam Uteem (Mauritius) and Jean Ping (Gabon).
A reliable source has predicted that Jean Ping, Gabon’s veteran foreign minister, stands a good chances of winning, mainly because of the support his candidature has been receiving from Central and Southern African countries and respective regional organizations.
Standing for the posts of commissioner are 45 candidates, representing all regions of the continent.
Angop learned that the commissioner for Social Affairs, Bience Philomina Gawanas, of Namibia, is among the few who have their re-election practically secured, due to praise she has been receiving for her performance.
The budget for 2008, estimated at 140 million USD, was established at the experts meeting held from Jan 22 to 26. The amount represents an increase of about six million USD from last year.
The ministerial session will also analyse the report on the activities of the continent’s Peace and Security Council and the state of these issues in the continent and another one from the chairman of the Committee of heads of State and Government on the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).