Germany's Merkel kicks off Africa tour with plea for democracy
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel kicked off her first tour of sub-Saharan Africa with a plea for more democratic freedoms in Ethiopia and an enhanced European role on the continent.
Her first trip to the region since taking the helm of Europe's largest economy two years ago will also take her to South Africa -- where she is expected to pressure the government over Zimbabwe -- and Liberia.
"We are in favour of further openness of the country, of the political system," Merkel said at a joint press conference with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Addis Ababa.
"We have the interest to see this society more open and the opposition's rights protected," she said, adding: "The respect of human rights is among the factors very conducive for development."
Meles -- a top western ally in the region who has come under scrutiny for his rights record and crackdowns against opposition groups -- deflected criticism and promised Ethiopia would contribute troops to a new Darfur force.
"We have been asked to contribute to the UNAMID, we promised 5,000 troops, and we'll do so, and I can tell you they'll be fully equipped troops," Meles said.
UNAMID is a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force jointly run by the African Union and United Nations which is set to replace an embattled AU contingent in the troubled western Darfur region of Sudan.
Ethiopia also still has troops in Somalia after helping the interim government, at the start of the year, oust an Islamist militia suspected of ties with Al-Qaeda.
Human rights organisations have criticised Meles' regime for its repression of political opponents who claimed they were robbed of victory in 2005 parliamentary polls.
Ethiopia is also under close watch over current military sweeps in the rebellious Ogaden and Oromia regions.
On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed a measure aimed at freezing security assistance to Ethiopia if it does not improve its democratic record.
But Meles dismissed the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act -- still only a bill -- as unjust.
"It is an unfair decision. It is the result of a vendetta... If it was about the human rights situation, they should have looked at Eritrea first," he said, in reference to Ethiopia's neighbour and arch-foe.
"We have excellent relations with the the USA, I hope they'll stay like that. But it is a two way thing," he added.
Addis Ababa hosts the headquarters of the African Union, where Merkel held talks with AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare ahead of a visit to South Africa for the longest leg of her tour.
Merkel's aides said she plans to urge South African President Thabo Mbeki to take a tougher line on neighbouring Zimbabwe.
The impoverished country is already dominating an upcoming EU-Africa summit, which British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has threatened to boycott if Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe attempts to defy a travel ban to attend.
The AU leaders on Thursday called for all African countries to be invited unconditionally to the summit, due to be held in Lisbon in December.
"It has been decided during our last summit in Accra that all the African countries should be invited without any condition," said Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who is also AU chairman, during a meeting at the AU headquarters.
Merkel has signalled that despite her abhorrence of Mugabe's policies which have plunged the once prosperous nation into a state of meltdown, she believes his presence should not derail the event.
"All African countries have to be invited but all of them have to equally prepare to face criticism," she said Thursday.
China's trade links and political influence have grown spectacularly in recent years and Merkel stressed in Addis Ababa that Europe should be more present on the continent.
The "EU has to do more for Africa, and the coming EU-AU meeting has an importance to find new development strategies to enhance our cooperation," she said.
Merkel is wrap up her Africa tour in Liberia, where she is expected Sunday.
