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    January 29, 2012

African Union Summit Opens in Ethiopia

   VOA News
   African leaders pose for a group photograph with U.N. Secretary-General
   Ban Ki-moon during the 18th African Union (AU) summit in Ethiopia's
   capital Addis Ababa, January 29, 2012.
   Photo: Reuters
   African leaders pose for a group photograph with U.N. Secretary-General
   Ban Ki-moon during the 18th African Union (AU) summit in Ethiopia's
   capital Addis Ababa, January 29, 2012.

   African Union leaders opened a two-day summit in Addis Ababa Sunday
   with the election of a new chairman for the pan-African organization.
   Benin's President Thomas Yayi Boni was selected chairman for the next
   year, taking over from Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang
   Nguema.
   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was among the first speakers in the
   new AU headquarters financed and built by China, an African trade
   partner.
   Ban told AU leaders the 25 upcoming elections for presidents,
   legislatures and local races in Africa this year must be conducted in
   fairness.
   He urged the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to resolve their
   differences over oil in the border area.
   The U.N. chief also said Somalia is a fragile society that has the
   prospect of better years ahead.
   The African Union leaders are expected to discuss Somalia's conflict
   and review disputes between Sudan and South Sudan.
   On Saturday, the African Union inaugurated its new headquarters, built
   and donated by China at a cost of $200 million.
   The event was attended by China's senior political adviser, Jia
   Qinglin, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and other African
   leaders.
   Jia said the new AU complex is a testament to China's friendship with
   the African people. He also praised China's growing trade with African
   countries.
   Prime Minister Meles praised what he called the African Renaissance,
   which he said was modeled on China's state-led economic model. He also
   took the opportunity to criticize the Western economic model of the
   late 20th century as "medicine that turned out to be worse than the
   disease."

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

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