Annan flags need to address AIDS, conflicts in Africa

Addressing the opening of the annual summit of the Organization of African Union (OAU) in Lusaka, Zambia, Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday urged the continent's leaders to show "singular determination" in putting an end to armed conflict and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS - two tasks he said were important to the success of a future African Union.

"This Summit holds a great promise for Africa's peoples - the promise that it will be remembered for launching the African Union, and setting the continent as a whole on a firm path to peace and development," Annan said.

However, if the historic effort was to do for Africa what the European Union did for Europe, it would require courage and a willingness to depart from the ways of the past, he cautioned.

Achieving peace, cooperation and economic progress will require African countries to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS, he said, noting that defeating the virus - as well as tuberculosis, malaria, and other infectious diseases - will not happen unless the battle is also won for basic health care, clean water and sanitation.

Halting armed conflicts on the continent will also be essential in fostering economic development and social progress, he said. "Bringing these conflicts to an end requires that we acknowledge two central truths: that they imperil the peace of all of Africa, and that they are in great measure the result of misguided leadership which is unwilling or unable to put the people's interests first," Mr. Annan said.