As one article about the Sudan read:
"However, the US involvement is not a newfound whim of philanthropy by Washington. There is a deliberate strategic national interest: access to oil. Since the Clinton administration, the US has been angling to diversify its oil supplies away from the turbulent Middle East region."
"Though Saudi Arabia oil reserves outstrip all production in Africa, the potential for oil reserves in Africa is far greater against the fear of decline in the Middle East. Furthermore, African oil is nearer to US, hence cheaper to transport. Besides the turmoil in the Arab region, the Middle East is not only expensive in terms of transportation and political uncertainty, it is far more costly to police given that the US maintains the largest military presence in the region."
"The US monitors the oil routes and production as well. The situation has been made worse by the invasion of Iraq, which prompted hardline militant groups to target the $250 billion reserve oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Iraq."
"The war against terror, whose by-product has been increased terrorist threats on US access to Arab oil, has spurred the urgency for alternative sources for the black gold. Oil producers in sub-Saharan Africa are now sought after as allies and Libya now exports oil to the US. The original "you are either with us or against us" mantra in the war against terror has petered as the economic reality of access to oil has hit home.
The US has increased policing of the West Africa's oil producing region. The US carrier USS Harry Truman has been deployed on Africa's Atlantic coast under an exercise dubbed "Summer Pulse 04"."
"The US passes off the exercise as part of the war against terror, but the reason is the oilfields off the west coast of Africa, described as the fastest growing source of oil over the past 10 years."
"The US strategic interests in Africa are in the unveiling of the "Africa Doctrine" last year, which involves stability of oil states and therefore energy security. One of the pillars of the doctrine is the African Coastal Security Programme announced in April 2003, weeks before the invasion of Iraq. To ensure stability in the supply of oil, the US is helping the Nigerian military contain civil unrest. And Nigeria has received four of seven military ships."
"Despite insistent denials by US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Mr Walter Kansteiner, the signs are that a navy base is likely in the Gulf of Guinea, possibly on the Island of Sao Tome, where America is funding a deep-sea port. The US oil interests target Africa's 20 per cent oil contribution to the world market and 60 million barrels of proven oil reserves west of the continent"
See typical stories below inGroup A.
All of this simply points up the need to move faster and with greater sincerity on the question of Pan-African government. On that front there was some interesting new out of the AU summit, according to the Libyan press and Mathaba news website the AU has accepted the Libyan proposal to turn the Commission into a full fledge government for Africa.
See typical stories on this aspect below in Group B.
Group A:
US hints at navy deployment to secure oil-rich Gulf of Guinea
www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-13 20:04:39
LAGOS, July 13 (Xinhuanet) -- A top US military commander has said his country was willing to cooperate with Nigeria in monitoring the waters of the Gulf of Guinea to secure the alternative source of oil to the Middle East.
"I think it is a hugely important issue to Nigeria as well as other countries in the Gulf of Guinea," local newspaper the Guardian quoted General Charles Wald, deputy commander of the US military's European Command for Europe and Africa, as saying on Tuesday.
Wald held talks on Monday with Nigerian military officials, including Nigerian Minister of State for Defense Rowland Oritsejafor and service chiefs, in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.
"It is up to the political leadership to decide if it is in their common interest to protect the area. If they do, we will firmly support that," he said, referring to the deployment of US naval troops in the region that holds as much as 10 percent of the world's oil reserves.
Monday's meeting held in the Abuja residence of the US ambassador to Nigeria was also the first time both countries met on the US government's deployment of its Navy in the Gulf of Guinea, the newspaper said.
Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, is also the world's sixth largest oil exporter and the fifth-biggest source of US oil imports.
However, the United States wants more oil from Nigeria and other African countries in the Gulf of Guinea, which has been plagued by pirates, smugglers and other criminals.
In Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region, the violence kills about 1,000 people a year, forcing the west African country to lose over 160,000 barrels per day.
Wald said that Nigeria is "one of the most important countries"to the United States and his country would help Nigeria "solve its security problems."
"We would like to have more cooperation with Nigeria. We think it is crucial for both of us," he added.
Wald also said the United States was looking forward to expanding training and helping equip regional groups in Africa "to support African leaders in regional peace keeping."
U.S. offers help with West Africa's oil region
Associated Press
ABUJA, Nigeria - A top U.S. military commander proposed American help Monday in monitoring West Africa's Gulf of Guinea to secure an unstable region that holds as much as 10 percent of the world's oil reserves.
Gen. Charles Wald, the deputy commander of the U.S. military's European Command for Europe and Africa, said he raised the offer in talks with West African and national officials in Nigeria - Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous nation.
Britain's Jane's Weekly defense publication has said the United States was readying a proposed African Coastal Security Program to block pirates, smugglers and other criminals in the Gulf of Guinea and around Africa.
The issue is being studied in preliminary feasibility surveys, European Command officials have told The Associated Press.
In Abuja, Nigeria's capital, Wald said he and Nigerian officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Roland Oritsejafor, discussed finding "a way that we can cooperate together in monitoring the waters off the Gulf of Guinea."
Wald called it a "hugely important" issue to West African nations bordering the gulf.
"It is up to the political leaders, if they decide it is in their common interests to protect the area, we will support that," he said.
He gave no immediate details of what assistance might be involved. Jane's has suggested U.S. help could include naval vessels, communications equipment and training, as well as a counterterrorism base in the Gulf of Guinea.
Earlier this year, the United States funded a feasibility study on the creation of a possible deep-water port at the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, off Nigeria.
Nigeria, Africa's largest oil exporter, is the world's No. 7 oil exporter and the fifth-biggest source of U.S. oil imports.
Group B:
Jana/0004 African Union Summit / winds up
Addis Ababa /9 Nasser/ Jana The 3rd. summit of the African Union, which was attended by the secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Co-operation concluded Thursday evening. The summit approved a number of resolutions and declarations aimed at the activation of the African Union's institutions and structures included an approval of an Executive Council (EC) decision on the amendment of the structures of the African Union Commission, so that the AU Commission becomes a government, chairman of the commission becomes head of such a government, and the commissioners become members of the government. The summit praised Great Jamahiriya for making the initiative and recommended undertaking an elaborate study within the final goal of Africa and the establishment of the United States of Africa and submitting concrete recommendations on this respect to the Fourth ordinary session of the next summit. The summit also approved holding two ordinary sessions for the African Union annually, a session every six months, the Commission will determine the necessary measures on holding the first summit due to be held next February. It also approved the EC decision on the activation of the protocol instituting the African Peace and Security Council, asking the chairman of the African Union Commission to make all necessary arrangements for the activation of the council in order to play its active role in stopping conflicts in the continent's states, especially in the Great Lakes region, supporting the wise men body , an early warning system and the African force to take its rule in maintaining security, peace and stability in the continent. The summit called on the African states to co-operate and support the African Union's efforts to stop conflicts in a number of its member states. It also adopted an official declaration on equality between men and women in Africa, paving the way for the contribution of African woman to development along side their fellow men. It also has a resolution on the implementation of the new partnership for African development, dealing with developments that took place regarding porgrammes of the partnership for development in African decided in the last Maputo summit. /Jamahiriya News Agency/
President Azali and the United States of Africa's dream Addis Ababa /7 Nasser/ Jana President Azali Assoumani of Comoros expressed his confidence in the capability of Africa to realize the dream of the establishment of the United States of Africa as an advanced stage of its unity, if the approach laid out by the Leader Mu'ammar al-Gadhafi is pursued, because of the believe in the ability of the continent to realize all its aspiration. In Wednesday's morning session of the third summit of the African Union, President Azali said; "I want to point out, what my brother the Leader Mu'ammar al-Gadahfi said that "hopes of Africa would be realized". " We have the same resolve to follow the same approach to achieve the dream of the United States of Africa" President Azalea added. /Jamahiriya News Agency/ 22 : 30
African Union Summit Concludes
Posted: 07/10
From: Mathaba
The 3rd Summit of the African Union, concluded Thursday evening in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
The summit approved a number of resolutions and declarations aimed at the activation of the African Union's institutions and structures included an approval of an Executive Council (EC) decision on the amendment of the structures of the African Union Commission, so that the AU Commission becomes a government, chairman of the commission becomes head of such a government, and the commissioners become members of the government.
The summit praised Libya for taking the initiative and recommended undertaking an elaborate study within the final goal of Africa and the establishment of the United States of Africa and submitting concrete recommendations on this respect to the 4th ordinary session of the next summit.
The summit also approved holding two ordinary sessions for the African Union annually, a session every six months, the Commission will determine the necessary measures on holding the first summit due to be held next February.
It also approved the Executive Council decision on the activation of the protocol instituting the African Peace and Security Council, asking the chairman of the African Union Commission to make all necessary arrangements for the activation of the council in order to play its active role in stopping conflicts in the states of the Union, especially in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, supporting the wise men body, an early warning system and the African defense force to take its rule in maintaining security, peace and stability in the continent.
The summit called on the African states to co-operate and support the African Union's efforts to stop conflicts in a number of its member states.
It also adopted an official declaration on equality between men and women in Africa, paving the way for the contribution of African woman to development along side their fellow men.
It also passed a resolution on the implementation of the "New Partnership for African Development" (NEPAD), dealing with developments that took place regarding programmes of the partnership for development in Africa decided in the last Maputo summit.
Speeding up one government of the United States of Africa
Posted: 07/08
From: Mathaba
President Abdulla Wade of Senegal, member of the Conference of Leaders and Head of States of Cen-Sad Community, urged for the speeding up of the establishment of one African government.
In his speech in Tuesday's evening session of the African Union summit, he stressed the need to restructure the African Union institutions, in such away as to speed up such government, which will have a president, and ministers who speak on behalf of the African Union before international forums.
This was the right direction, for Africa to be strong and with one voice at international fora, instead of each individual country speaking alone, he stressed.
The same thing was underlined by islamist military dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashit, of Sudan who called in his speech Tuesday evening for the realization of the African dream, which he said "the dream of the establishment of the government of the United States of Africa".
The African continent is qualified to realize this dream, as it is rich in its human resources, and cultural legacy, which effectively contributed to the establishment of human civilization, Bashit explained.
Earlier, the Executive Council of the African Union, praised Libya for submitting a proposal aimed at amending the structure of the African Union commission, so that the Commission becomes a federal government, and chairman of the Commission becomes its president, and the commissioners are its members, each one in his/ her field of work.
