AFRICAN UNION STILL DEMANDS GADAFFI ROLE
The African Union has of late not exactly excelled in its role, not over Darfur, not over the continued aggression by the regime in Khartoum against their newest member the Republic of South Sudan, not over Somalia where dillydallying is the order of the day and for sure not over the Libyan situation.
Desperately trying to hang on to their erstwhile paymaster general Gadaffis Libya financed the lions share of the AUs running expenses reality does clearly not matter for the AU, as their latest demand from South Africa, where a mini summit was held this week continues seek an involvement by Gadaffi in a government of national unity.
These hollow utterances were made on the same day when Frances President Sarkozy and Britains Prime Minister Cameron actually were in Libya, hosted by the new government, the erstwhile rebels. Those two were received by tens of thousands of Libyans, freely without guns stuck in their backs as the Gadaffi Libya needed to do to bring crowds on to the streets, cementing diplomatic relations with the new government in Tripoli while the AU continues to alienate them.
Of course, Gadaffis friendship was worth pure gold, or money and investments anyway, with which he bought the loyalty and friendship of many equally despotic African leaders, giving credence to growing accusations that the AU is an increasingly useless and irrelevant body, unless it too undergoes an uprising of Arab Spring proportions, installing a new spirit and a new sense of reality in an organization dominated by the old guard of Africa.
Going by reports from Libya yesterday and overnight, the new transitional government in Libya will well remember those who stood by them and backed them up, recognized them first and supplied them with what they needed, and while clearly they will have Libyan interests on their mind first and foremost, they will do preferred business with their friends rather than immediately engage with those, including the AU, who for so long stood in their way and continue to do so in what is now a purely comical if tragic misinterpretation of reality. Meanwhile it seems that at least one of Gadaffis wanted sons has installed himself and his goons in Niger, a signatory state to the ICC convention and now suddenly reluctant to carry out an Interpol arrest warrant, probably convinced by heavy briefcases exchanging hands.
For Libya however the future now looks bright and while mopping up operations continue around former Gadaffi strongholds, life is progressively returning to normality. Airlines have started to resume flights to Benghazi and Tripoli after the damaged infrastructure has been repaired and there is now a trickle of business travelers starting to flow back into Libya, taking advantage of the genuinely friendly relations between Britain, France, contributing NATO countries and the new Libyan establishment.
Once full order is restored, the oil starts flowing again and a new administration of public affairs and the judiciary has been installed, Libya will also be able to begin tapping into its unique tourism potential, having the longest stretch of Mediterranean coast line and a treasure cove of ancient monuments, temples and ruins from the Roman days. Many regular travelers who in the past shunned Libya over their principled opposition to Gadaffi, his murderous regime and his terrorist past, will suddenly find that a new destination will be opening up, just a few hours flight from home across the Mediterranean, and as tourism generates jobs and foreign exchange earnings, and easily attracts as much investments as the oil industry does, this will be one future economic cornerstone for the reborn country.
Meanwhile does the question remain, when of when will the AU and many of its members actually realize that Gadaffi is a man of the past and the future of Libya, and continental diplomatic relations is with the new chaps in Tripoli. Time will tell, eventually!
