President hails launch of African Union

ROC President Denis Sassou Nguesso has said that the African Union, which is replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), will help Africans participate in the “fight for the development and unity” of the continent. In an interview on Thursday with Radio France Internationale (RFI) Sassou Nguesso said this participation will be ensured through the proposed African parliament and financial institutions, notably the African Economic Community. “Through this initiative, we’ll achieve the development of Africa ... when we look at history, we note that in 40 years and even less, we were capable of moving from a colonised and totally dominated Africa, to today’s situation, which means that we are making good progress,” Sassou Nguesso stated. “I think there are indications that nothing should stop us in our plan to achieve the African Union.” When asked if conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would pose an obstacle to the AU becoming a more effective body than the OAU, Sassou Nguesso stated that “We have seen in other countries and on other continents how the states and the peoples have moved from a situation of major conflicts to a type of union and unity. Consider Europe -- who could have thought that Germany and France would be the driving force of Europe’s development? Therefore, the situation in the DRC alone will not block Africa’s march towards its union. On the contrary, through our various political stands, we will further mobilise to help the DRC overcome its crisis situation and furthermore, there are strong indications that we are moving gradually to the end of the conflict.”