Brussels, 11/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - Addressing African heads of state at the African Union Summit in Maputo (Mozambique), Romano Prodi expressed the European Union's support and cooperation for achieving the AU objectives as a regional integration political organisation promoting human rights, democracy, good governance, peace and security and prosperity on the African continent.
"We share the objectives and principles set out in your Constitutive Act. We are aware of the complexity and constraints facing African leaders as they seek to build robust, efficient institutions accountable to Africa's people. In Europe, after 50 years of integration, we are now working on a Constitution", stated the European Commission President. Romano Prodi particularly welcomed the AU's plan to set up a Peace and Security Council. The African Union is taking responsibility for establishing peace and democracy across the continent. It is setting up new institutions to assist member countries and to monitor progress. So you are truly improving the chances for peace and good governance. You are opening up prospects of development once more, for the benefit of the continent's poor. But dangers still exist. Too many Africans continue to live under the threat of instability and a lack of security. Whenever the threat -- internal or external -- of violence, hatred and destruction remains, your project's credibility is at risk. And this may tarnish the image of the African Union. We believe that peace and security are the starting point. As the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa, Ed) Manifesto states, peace is the absolute prerequisite. There can be no development without it. As external partners and a major source of official development assistance to Africa, we have long experience in helping with emergency assistance and post-conflict reconstruction. The issue now is whether some development-assistance resources should be used upstream, to help with peace-support operations. This raises a number of political and legal questions. But I believe it must be a new shared goal. The ultimate aim is not to send peacekeeping forces here or there, but to bolster Africa's own capacity to deal with conflict situations and peace enforcement.”