Showing posts with label African Union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African Union. Show all posts

Saturday, April 25, 2009

LIBYA: ‘‘King of Kings’’ Gaddafi Tries to Flex Regional Muscles

LIBYA: ‘‘King of Kings’’ Gaddafi Tries to Flex Regional Muscles

By Michael Deibert

Inter Press Service

PARIS, Apr 24, 2009 (IPS) - Former pariah and now Europe’s cautious partner, Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi seems determined to flex new-found diplomatic muscles on issues ranging from trade to regional security, North Africa observers say.

Elected to a one-year term to lead the 53-nation African Union (AU) in February, Gaddafi has been acting energetically in that role and in his capacity as the guiding force behind the Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens (Community of Sahel-Saharan States, or CEN-SAD).

Promoting an idiosyncratic brand of pan-continental leadership, Gaddafi has been welcomed back into the European Union’s (EU) good books after Libya announced in 2003 that it was abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.

He has made his presence felt in recent months on a host of subject affecting relations between Europe and Africa.

Read the full article here.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Hope, Concern Greet China's Growing Prominence in Africa

Hope, Concern Greet China's Growing Prominence in Africa

By Michael Deibert

Inter Press Service

PARIS, Jul 23, 2007 (IPS) - While China's growing trade and investment flows to Africa have sparked a sometimes contentious debate with the United States and Europe over who has the continent's best interests at heart, a closer look at the dynamic developing reveals a political landscape where the rhetoric is rarely in line with the reality, observers say.

Read the full article here.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Following Oil Boom, Biofuel Eyed In Africa

TRADE: Following Oil Boom, Biofuel Eyed In Africa

By Michael Deibert

Inter Press Service

PARIS, Jul 13 (IPS) - While oil profits have flooded into countries such as Angola and Nigeria in recent decades, some African observers see new potential for the continent in the form of increasingly in-demand biofuels.

Biofuels, loosely defined as liquid or gas fuels derived from biomass, produce significantly less ozone-damaging carbon emissions than fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. A large swath of southern Africa, including Angola, Mozambique and South Africa, is proving fertile ground for those seeking an alternative to fossil fuels.

It is a development that has not escaped the notice of Europe.

Read more here.