Hopes for establishing PAP at AU summit

Ahead of the second African Union (AU) summit in Mozambique next week, senior parliamentarians urged their governments
to step up efforts to establish the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).

At the end of a two-day meeting of African parliamentarians in South Africa to discuss the pending launch of the PAP, only 19 countries out of the 53 African states had ratified the agreement. At least 27 have to ratify the protocol before the parliament can be formed, news agencies reported.

One of the functions of the PAP would be to oversee the AU, particularly its crucial peer review mechanism. It is also expected that the parliament would give its MPs leverage when seeking action to resolve conflicts on the continent.

A spokeswoman for the meeting was quoted as saying: "MPs want quick ratification of the protocol establishing the parliament. We need to see the signatures and commitments to the body's programme during the next summit in Mozambique."

South Africa is hoping to host the parliament.

The costs of the African Union are expected to top US $100 million a year - over three times its current budget.

Amara Essey, interim chairman of the AU Commission, said the US $30 million set aside for the AU to meet its targets was insufficient. "The union's expenses alone amount to US $70 million. The number of employees has to be increased from 400 to 800. "We are talking at about US $100 million," he told journalists.

It is still unclear who will fund the shortfall. The AU is already saddled with debt incurred from
the old Organisation of African Unity, which it replaced last July.