VOA News
12 Jul 2003, 11:24 UTC
African leaders are meeting for a third and final day at a summit of the African Union that has focused on ways to resolve the continent's many civil wars.
Some 40 heads of state and other senior African officials are conferring in private Saturday, in the Mozambique capital, Maputo. On Friday, the leaders agreed to establish a common defense policy and create a standby African force to help end conflicts in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sudan and Somalia.
South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said a special summit will be called after African defense ministers and army chiefs reach a compromise on their leaders' various proposals. However, significant progress toward settling Africa's most serious civil wars was hampered by the absence of several key leaders, including those from Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Nigeria and Liberia.
The leaders at the summit also discussed economic development issues and the fight against AIDS.
The African Union was created last year to succeed the 39-year-old Organization of African Unity. Unlike its predecessor, the 53 member nations have given the union has broad powers, including the authority to intervene in the internal affairs of African states.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
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