South African President Thabo Mbeki is to lead an African Union (AU) delegation to Comoros on Saturday to help break a deadlock between political leaders in the Indian Ocean archipelago. The AU appointed South Africa to head a contact group including Madagascar, Mauritius, Tanzania and Mozambique to help resolve the dispute between Union President Azaly Assoumani and the leaders of the three islands - Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli - over their respective constitutional powers, which has prevented parliamentary elections from being held. "The visit is part of efforts by the AU to help the Comoran people find a speedy resolution to their current political challenges," a South African foreign ministry statement said. "Several issues such as the division of power, the budget, security, customs and tax revenue still need to be ironed out, with a view to creating a climate conducive for the holding of free and fair parliamentary elections," it added. The Organisation of African Unity, the AU's predecessor, mediated a political settlement that granted greater autonomy to the islands in 2001, ending a crisis sparked by the self-declared secession of Anjouan and Moheli. Under the new constitution, the Union presidency - which has overall authority - rotates between the three islands on a four-year basis. But President Abdou Soule Elbak of the main island, Grande Comore, has accused Assoumani of failing to grant him powers enshrined in the constitution. Assoumani has argued that only a national assembly would be able to clarify the functions and powers of both his Union government and the island presidents, but the ongoing standoff has delayed legislative elections.
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