PM Sellal, FM Lamamra: Algeria Supports The African Union Reform

Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, expressed on Sunday, in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Algeria’s support for the course of the reform that was launched by the African Union, and said that this matter “has become a necessity and Algeria thinks that this is extremely important”.

Sellal added, in an intervention during the meeting of Heads of African States and Governments, that the question of the African Union reform which we decided to assign it for the President Kagame, has become a necessity and comes in a context that is characterized by the urgent need to respond to the requirements of the integration of Africa, its development and the overall changes that are taking place In the world”.

“President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, recently expressed, twice, in an official capacity, the attention of Rwandan President Paul Kagame to reform the Union. Importance of this task and its results needs from us to show the best fit to the path of reform, which we hope will be effective and oriented for providing the real challenges that we face”.

“Reform initiative does not lie only on the Member States, but it includes bodies and mechanisms of our Organization that are invited to make their contributions”.

“This perspective should include proposals, amendments, and institutional change of our organization, which we will validate during these works, the result of careful thinking integrates the lessons that we have learned from previous experiences to embody the aspirations and objectives that are included in the basic instruments of the African Union, especially its Constitution Declaration and The Official 50th Anniversary of the Organization of African Unity / African Union and the Agenda for 2063 “.

Sellal, who is representing the President of the Republic in this meeting, considered that the African Union will continue to face multiple challenges that are related to structural imbalances, financial difficulties and shortcomings in coordination within the institutional system of our organization.

“These challenges basically take a pragmatic endeavor that is based on the rational use of the limited financial resources, and their allocation for the completion of our programs and development projects that are included in the 2063 agenda”.

“Historical decision which was taken in July 2016, during the African Union summit in Kigali, included the creation of a 2.0% fee on imports of Member States, a decision that is applied vigorously under the supervision of the African Finance Ministers ministers”.

“We should not neglect the attempts of optimization and audit that are related to the institutional infrastructure, the procedures and methods of work, and functioning of the Union and its organs”.

For his part, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ramtane Lamamra, said: “It was necessary to reform the African Union”, and stressed that this reform is practical and not political.

Lamamra confirmed, ahead of the works of Heads of States and the African Union governments, to discuss the preliminary report that was prepared by the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, on the reform of the Union, that: “President Kagame was assigned during the Kigali summit in July 2016, for the preparation of this report, and we’ll see what are the suggestions which we will adopt”.

“Reforms must be more practical and technical than political, because the political aspects are satisfactory for us. Algeria agrees with the principles that were enshrined in the Charter of the African Union”.

“What is required is not a fundamental reform that touches the principles and objectives of the Union, but reforming some minor things that can improve the effectiveness of the organization. We should learn the lessons from the experience of the African Union over the past years, for the introduction of these reforms”.