Agence France Presse | By STUART GRAHAM | May 29, 2003
Africa will be low on the agenda at the Group of Eight (G8) summit in France as the world's wealthiest nations focus on rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, analysts said this week.
Jakkie Cilliers, an expert on African affairs at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, said the continent had slipped down the G8's priority list after the war on Iraq.
"If Africa is looking at the international community to provide it with a Marshall Plan (a plan to reconstruct Europe after World War II), it must realise that this is not realistic in terms of G8 politics," he said.
"The reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq is the top priority now," he said. Africa was the main topic at last year's G8 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, where leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States agreed in principle to provide greater development aid and debt relief to support the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
NEPAD, a plan by African leaders to produce clean government and strong economic policies, was hailed as the first African-led initiative to prove that the continent's leaders are serious about cutting corruption, reforming their economies and promoting democracy.
High on Africa's agenda at the Evian summit from June 1-3 will be the establishment of a 10,000-strong African peacekeeping force that will stand by in five regions -- north, east, south, west and central -- of the continent.
Herman Hannekom, a researcher at the Pretria-based African Institute, said that because G8 economies faced huge expenses over reconstructing Iraq, Africa would have trouble garnering support for the peacekeeping force.
"Africa needs this kind of force to ensure peace on the continent, but it will involve big money," he warned.
"The G8 have pledged to prioritise assistance to Africa's efforts at peacekeeping, but I do not think they will be too sympathetic. They will probably only agree to assist in establishing one of the five brigades."
The G8 will want to hear of tangible results from NEPAD before committing funds.
In particular they are likely to want to see that Africa is committed to NEPAD's vision of "peer review," under which the continent's leaders will monitor each other's performance and commitment to human rights and democracy.
Last year Canadian Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew said during a visit to South Africa that six billion (US) dollars in extra annual aid, aimed at demonstrating G8 support for NEPAD, was "conditional" on NEPAD's functioning properly.
The G8 are also likely to raise concerns over the kid-glove treatment given Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe by his fellow African presidents, especially Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki.
Many outside Africa are disappointed that a tougher line has not been taken on Mugabe, who stands accused of using violence and ballot-rigging to cling to power in his economically crippled country.
But Cilliers said it was unlikely that the G8 would see any tangible results from NEPAD.
"NEPAD is a political initiative, not an implementing agency.
"The African Union will implement NEPAD policies, but this will take some time because the union (established in July last year) is very new."
Nevertheless, leaders of the G8 are expected to produce at least some of the assistance Africa is looking for.
On Tuesday US President George W. Bush launched a 15-billion-dollar (13-billion-euro) five-year plan to fight AIDS, rapidly becoming one of Africa's biggest killers.
French President Jacques Chirac is also expected to announce measures to stop subsidised European and American agribusinesses dumping cheap produce on the African market and stifling rural development.
Africa will look to Chirac to champion its cause after most African countries joined France in refusing to back the US-led war on Iraq earlier this year.
"Chirac will have to pay for Africa's support," said Cilliers.
The G8 leaders will meet heads of state of South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, and Senegal at a working dinner ahead of the summit. Kofi Annan, United Nations secretary-general, will also attend.Agence France Presse:
