Presidents Of Iran, Venezuela Attend African Union Summit

[Simba Nerevu]

PRESIDENTS OF IRAN, VENEZUELA ATTEND AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT

By PANA
Updated Jul 1, 2006, 06:21 pm

The African Union (Official Site)
http://www.africa-union.org/

Birth of The African Union (FCN, 07-14-2002)
http://www.finalcall.com/peacemission/au07-14-2002.htm

Banjul, The Gambia (PANA) - Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran
and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela were among foreign observers attending
the 7th AU Summit which opened in Banjul, the Gambia, Saturday.

They joined leaders from most of the 53 AU Member States at the
opening of the summit, which has the main theme of African integration.

President Chavez, who arrived at Banjul Saturday morning, is
attending his first AU Summit since November 2005, when Venezuela was
given an AU Observer status.

A Venezuelan journalist accompanying Chavez told PANA that his
(Chavez) presence at the meeting was an indication of his interest in
Africa.

"It is also in the spirit of South-South cooperation, as well as in
furtherance of Venezuela's foreign policy aimed at bringing the five
continents together to achieve a plural polar world," the journalist
said.

Ahmadinejad is also attending his first AU Summit since his election
in June 2005.

Summit host President Yahya Jammeh invited the Iranian leader, who
arrived in the Gambian capital Thursday.

© Copyright 2006 FCN Publishing, FinalCall.com

Source: <http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2728.shtml>

[Simba Nerevu]

Hugo Chavez proposes African, Latin America, Carribean Alliance

By Segun Adeyemi
Updated Jul 11, 2006, 02:43 pm

The African Union (Official Site)
http://www.africa-union.org/

Banjul, The Gambia (PANA) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, guest
at the 7th African Union (AU) Summit, proposed four areas of
cooperation among the peoples of Africa, Latin America and the
Caribbean in the spirit of South-South cooperation.

In an extemporaneous speech to African leaders attending the 7th AU
summit in Banjul, the Gambia, Chavez suggested the establishment of a
joint commission to set up four projects, which he listed as
Petrosouth, Telesouth, Bank of the South and University for the South".

He said through Petrosouth, the leaders would harness the power of
oil, which he called a powerful instrument for social development, to
develop their peoples.

"It was used by the colonialists (to oppress us). We are now going to
use it to liberate our peoples," the President said, adding that 15
percent of the world's oil reserves is in Africa.

He said Telesouth would involve the establishment of a TV station for
the peoples, while the Bank of the South will be a development bank
to assist the poor from the three areas.

Chavez said the University of the South would help train the youths
of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean in key areas.

Saying he has come to strengthen the relationship between Africa and
Latin America, the Venezuelan leader explained that the people of
Latin America were a mixture of Africans and American Indians.

He said Africa, with vast human and material resources, was not poor
but rather suffering from years of exploitation by the colonialists.

He accused oil companies in Africa of exploiting their host countries
by evading taxes, recommending the example of his country, which
collects 30 per cent tax from oil companies.

Chavez also expressed solidarity with Iran, in its ongoing face-off
with the West over its nuclear programme, and with the Palestinian
people "who are today being attacked".

"Long live Africa, Long live Arabia and long live Iran in freedom and
equality," Chavez said, stealing a glance at Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is also attending the summit.

Ahmadinejad's speech to the summit was interrupted by a technical
hitch after a few minutes, forcing the meeting to adjourn for two hours.

Before the interruption, the Iranian leader condemned the migration
of European Jews to "displace the Palestinian people".

Chavez and Ahmadinejad were invited to the summit as Observers.

© Copyright 2006 FCN Publishing, FinalCall.com

SOURCE: <http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2757.shtml>

[Simba Nerevu]

Presidents of Iran, Venezuela take advantage of Africa summit to lash
out at West

By TODD PITMAN
BANJUL, Gambia

The Associated Press (apwire)

The firebrand presidents of Iran and Venezuela took advantage of a
summit of African leaders Saturday to declare solidarity with the
impoverished continent and to lash out at the West, comparing
Africa's centuries-old slave trade to a modern-day struggle for Third
World freedom.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez backed Iran's controversial nuclear
program, which the United States and the European Union want rolled
back despite Iran's insistence that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

''Doesn't Iran have the right to develop nuclear technology for
peaceful means?'' Chavez said during a summit of the 53-nation
African Union in Gambia's small seaside capital, Banjul.

''Obviously, it has the right.'' Chavez said his nation was ''tired
of being exploited by the American empire. We said: 'No more,' and we
have broken our chains and we are building a Venezuela independent of
foreign intervention.'' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused
''bullying powers'' of plundering the wealth of poorer nations, but
did not specifically name any.

''They think the countries and nations of the world must be their
slaves,'' Ahmadinejad said. ''I know how the oppressed people of
Africa and Latin America have suffered.'' Ahmadinejad's speech was
cut short due to technical difficulties that apparently affected his
microphone.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh hailed their attendance at the summit
as ''a morale booster as well as an assurance that Africa can make
it.'' On Tuesday, Annan urged Iran's foreign minister to speed up
Tehran's response to a package of incentives from key global powers
that is meant to persuade Iran to halt its uranium enrichment
program. The United States, Russia and other Group of Eight nations
said Thursday they want Iran to have an answer by next week.

Annan discussed the incentives plan with Ahmadinejad in a meeting on
the sidelines the summit, said Annan spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

''The secretary-general said he was appreciative at the way Iran had
been constructively engaged since the proposal,'' Dujarric said.

''He said he was pleased that Iran showed a serious commitment to the
process.'' Iran received the proposal June 6, but Ahmadinejad has
said his government will not respond officially until at least mid-
August.

Chavez urged African nations to take charge of their own natural
resources, particularly oil, saying they could turn around economic
woes. He said his government taxed oil companies operating in
Venezuela 30 percent and said African Union and Latin American
countries should create a joint commission to coordinate energy
strategies.

Leftist icon Chavez has repeatedly attacked the U.S. and President
George W. Bush in speeches and has worked to form Latin American
trading blocs to counterbalance American economic power.

Venezuela is the world's ninth-largest oil producer while Iran is the
fourth. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and the fifth-
leading source of U.S. oil imports.

Chavez said Africa accounted for 15 percent of the world's oil reserves.

''Africa is not a poor continent ... it has petrol, diamonds, coal,
it has huge forest reserves, minerals,'' Chavez said. ''Petrol was
used to colonize us, and we are going to use it to become free.'' A
Venezuelan foreign affairs official, Javier Merayo, said Chavez was
expected to hold a marathon series of separate talks with 15 African
heads of state Saturday.

2006/07/02 8:16 © 2006 Ohmynews

Source: <http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleV...icle_view.asp?
no=302551&rel_no=1>