AU selects Libya's Sirte to host next summit in July

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Addis Ababa - The African Union (AU) on Monday selected Libya's port city of Sirte to host the organisation's next summit in July.

After a closed-door meeting at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Pan-African body's Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) made a decision to allow Libya's Sirte to host the 13th AU summit, due to be held from 1 to 3 July.

Prior to the summit, there will be a meeting of the PRC from 24 to 26 June and a meeting of the Executive Council of the AU from 28 to 30 June.

The theme of the 13th AU summit is "Investing in agriculture for economic growth and food security".

The summit would have been held in Madagascar's Antananarivo, however, the country was suspended from the AU in March after the army forced out the president and installed the opposition leader in his place.

In a decision on 20 March, the Pan-African body said what happened in March constituted "unconstitutional change of government," referring to the forced resignation of Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana.

Ethiopia, Libya and Mauritius had offered to host the summit in place of Madagascar.