Poverty and pragmatism breed sympathy for South-South message at AU summit

African leaders on Saturday listened to strident calls from Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to turn away from the West for development assistance and trade, a message greeted with enthusiasm by many – although not all - African delegates. Gregarious and animated Chavez used his speech to plead for greater cooperation between developing countries to counter "foreign domination". The more austere Ahmadinejad denounced the "bully" tactics of the West that he said block developing countries from accessing new technologies. Both leaders were special guests at an African Union two-day summit attended by heads of state from 52 African countries, which opened on Saturday at a seafront hotel in the Gambian capital Banjul. The only U.S. delegate and several European delegates walked out of the summit during Ahmadinejad's speech. But the calls for solidarity with the developing world outside Africa resonated with many African leaders, who were formally supposed to be discussing the theme "regional economic integration". "America and the West are not supporting Africa. You see the G8 summits, and the promises, but they are not really supporting us by actually giving the funds they pledge, providing projects, supporting poverty alleviation projects," said an official from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hamoul Baudouin. "This creates an appeal for such people to come and talk, and an attraction for people to listen." Immigration, a hot-button issue especially in West Africa from where hundreds are believed to have drowned this year trying to make the short sea journey to Europe, and where many young people faced with unemployment and poor opportunities dream of living abroad, was another trigger. "Western countries are closing their borders to the South, and that is not just Africa, it is all developing countries from Brazil to Asia," said a high-ranking member of the Cameroonian delegation, who asked not to be named. "We have to find ways to cooperate to build a network so we can become more free from Western influences." Business interests reinforced other delegates' interest in the comments by the leaders of the two oil-rich nations. According to the UN, investment in Africa has grown 200 percent in the last five years. Evidence of growing Asian interest in Africa is evident throughout the continent, not least at the Banjul summit by the 200 motorcycles Taiwan donated so Gambian police could escort presidential motorcades. Latin American oil-giant Venezuela has opened three embassies on the continent in the last year, and has plans for another three before the end of 2007. "I think it's really interesting that people who are not traditionally our partners are getting into the picture," said Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, a senior adviser to Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who last month visited China and Iran. "Senegal used to do everything with France but today we are doing more with India than with France. Today, the French know we will not buy a French car for $20,000 when we can buy an Indian one for $10,000." "We are opening our eyes. We are saying, 'we have been married to this country, but maybe there are other options we didn't have before'. It is good that these countries can step in and say why don't you listen to us. It is good for Africa and for those countries." But United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, a national of the West African country Ghana, in his keynote speech at the summit warned African leaders that investors might not have the continent's best interests at heart. "The new-found interest in Africa should be welcomed. But the activities are still focused mainly on the extractive industry and exploitation of natural resources," Annan said. "We have to ensure that this new scramble for Africa benefits the women and men of the continent - and that the agreements which are signed with foreign investors are fair, equitable and stand the test of time." "The first scramble for Africa was for land, territories, natural resources and slaves. We are still feeling the devastating impact of that period. Let not history repeat itself," he warned. nr/ccr