Africa wants better economic deals with the European Union but is prepared to do business elsewhere, according to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
“We want win-win relations based on mutual interest, not on exploitation,” Kadhafi said in an opening speech at the EU-African Union summit in Tripoli, which concludes today (Nov. 30).
“Europe talks to us of governance, human rights,” he added. “Africa needs economics, not politics.”
A draft of a joint declaration seen by Agence France-Presse says the EU and Africa are “determined to seize together new opportunities for broader and mutually beneficial initiatives.”
Africa is proposing a forum to strengthen economic dialogue and cooperation between the EU and the continent, Tunisia Online News quoted Tunisian President Ben Ali as saying. The forum will convene European and African ministers of economy and finance “to examine effective ways to implement their common association strategy and monitor its developments,” he added.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said energy, climate change, and trade and regional integration are “new avenues for Africa and Europe to restore and accelerate growth.”
