Nigeria wishes African integration to be "gradual" process--English

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Africa should take a "gradual approach" to achieve its integration because of the critical need to focus on strengthening and consolidating internal governance, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said at the ongoing 9th AfricanUnion Summit.

"Our perspective is mediated by the critical need at this pointin our continent's developmental process, for the nations of Africa to focus more on the strengthening and consolidation of internal governance and growth structures, and on more robust regional integration," he said.

Yar'Adua reaffirmed Nigeria's support for the principle of the ultimate goal of the African Union (AU) being "a full and political integration leading to the evolvement of a United Statesof Africa." However, he expressed the view whether to fast-track the process or to do it step by step, which is shared by quite a number of other African leaders.

A report named the "Study on an African Union Government towards the United States of Africa" has proposed a roadmap of forming the United States of Africa by 2015 in three phases.

The first phase is the establishment of the Union Government by2009, to be followed by the second phase of the consolidation of the union government from 2009 to 2012 and third phase of establishing the United States of Africa by 2015.

A committee of seven African heads of state submitted the report in July 2006 to the 7th AU summit held in Banjul, Gambia.

Yar'Adua told the summit, which is devoted to the "Grand Debateon the Union Government," that the critical importance of a "definitive" identification and clarification of "the vital institutional and operational challenges," which the concept of Union Government throws up, strengthened the case for a gradualistapproach.

"Dear colleagues, there are clear and present threats and challenges which we must face up to," said the president, who was sworn in on May 29. "We cannot ignore the social, economic and political inequalities within and among our member states which, if not bridged, would pose daunting obstacles on the march towardsviable political and economic union."

Source: Xinhua

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