Steps toward AU recognition

Madagascar's new government was optimistic that it would rejoin the African Union (AU) after talks between President Marc Ravalomanana and southern African leaders in Pretoria, South Africa. Ravalomanana met with the AU troika on Tuesday to review the progress made by the government of Madagascar following the recent political crisis. "The talks between the troika and President Ravalomanana were very positive. The main aim was [to] report on the current domestic political situation in Madagascar. Of course, Madagascar would like to return to [an] African organisation. "It is a little embarrassing that we are still left out but I am sure that this [return] will happen soon," Bruno Ranarivelo, Madagascar's Consul-General in South Africa, told IRIN. The AU troika comprises South African President Thabo Mbeki (the current AU chairman), Prime Minister Pascal Mocumbi of Mozambique (the next chair of the AU) and President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia (the last chairman of the Organisation of African Unity). The AU has been reluctant to endorse Ravalomanana's presidency, saying his election had not been "legally constituted", and has called for fresh elections. At the launch of the AU in South Africa in July, African heads of state upheld a decision to exclude the country from the new Union. The AU said a decision would be made only after it had held talks with the AREMA Party, the former ruling party of ex-president, Didier Ratsiraka. But Ranarivelo said that these proposed talks could prove difficult as "most of AREMA's leaders are hiding abroad". Following Ravalomanana's ascension to power in July, several pro-Ratsiraka officials fled the country, allegedly in fear of reprisal attacks by Ravalomanana supporters. Ratsiraka now resides in France. Earlier this month, Ravalomanana announced that legislative elections, originally scheduled for May 2003, would take place on 15 December this year. France - the former colonial power - the United States, Britain and China, have all formally endorsed Ravalomanana's government. Currently, only a handful of African countries officially recognise Ravalomanana, including Senegal, Libya, Burkina Faso, Mauritius and the Comoros.