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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Bangui keen on attending AU summit

BANGUI, 7 July 2003 (IRIN) - The Central African Republic (CAR) has expressed its hope that its officials would be summoned by African heads of state who will attend on Thursday the African Union summit in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, to explain political change that took place in the country on 15 March, a government official told IRIN on Monday.

The secretary of state for foreign affairs, Charles Wenezoui, said that a Friday declaration by South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is also the out-going chairman of the AU, to exclude the CAR from the Maputo summit had not surprised the government.

The AU condemns, in principle, governments resulting from unconstitutional change, such as happened on 15 March when former army chief of staff Francois Bozize overthrew President Ange-Felix Patasse.

"We hope that we will be invited to explain the reasons for the political change," Wenezoui said.

He added that the AU, the UN and the organisation of French speaking countries, La Francophonie, had sent missions to meet the new administration in the capital, Bangui.

Soon after Bozize's coup, the international community condemned the unconstitutional change in the country. The Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) was the only organisation to officially recognise the new administration and to show its determination to plead the country's case to the AU.

Foreign Affairs Minister Karim Meckassoua said in a news conference in June that Patasse was campaigning to represent the country at the Maputo summit. Patasse is currently in exile in Lome, capital of Togo.

Early in June, the AU, which has appointed Fadok Fayala from Tunisia as its special envoy to the country, granted US $50,000 to the new administration to help it repatriate its citizens living outside the country.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Governance, (IRIN) Other

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