Arab - African organization urges for African union ratification

An Arab-African non-governmental organization has appealed to African leaders to have the courage to ratify the African Union document, reports the Panafrican news agency (PANA).

Edwin Sakala, representative of the General Arab-African NGOs Union for Southern Africa, claimed in a press statement released Tuesday in Lusaka that what is holding back most of the leaders from ratifying the document is their fear of offending Western countries on which they depend economically.

"The apathy shown by African leaders towards ratification of the African Union treaty is delaying implementation of the African Unity program and frustrating the first step which includes formation of the General Union of National Committees to harmonize the civil society on the continent.

"We fear that President of Libya Colonel Muammar Kadhafi and a few other leaders may boycott the next OAU summit scheduled for Lusaka next July," Sakala said.

He said an appeal has already been sent to Kadhafi not to abandon or be discouraged by the failure of most African states to ratify the Union document which was presented at the 2000 OAU summit in Togo.

According to Sakala, less than 10 countries out of 53 African countries have ratified the document.