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         African Union Seeks Washington Partnership to Combat Terrorism

   by Peter Clottey

   The deputy chairman of the African Union (AU) says the continental body
   seeks to strengthen the partnership with President Barack Obama's
   administration to combat global terrorism.
   "In addition to working with the U.S., I think because of the nature of
   global terrorism, we need global cooperation. And of course, there are
   many areas in which we can [work] together to defeat this menace and
   phenomenon," said Erastus Mwencha.
   His comments come on the eve of the public swearing in of Obama on
   Monday as he begins his second, and last, four year term.
   Some observers have criticized his administration for not working
   closely enough on issues of interest to Africa. They however express
   hope for improved working relations between African countries and
   Washington in his new term.
   "We are not looking for anything extraordinary for his second term. We
   have got an agenda [which is] first of all to secure development for
   the continent, and we want also to make sure we also see favorable
   environmental and economic relations [that] encourages trade,
   investment and... cooperation," said Mwencha.
   He said there are high-level consultations between the African Union
   Commission and Washington.
   '''Mwencha said Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chairperson of the AU,  was
   recently in the U.S. where she held fruitful talks with senior
   administration officials, lawmakers and members of the business
   community.
    "We have a framework of cooperation between the US and Africa like in
   the area of AGOA [African Growth and Opportunity Act], and other
   initiatives," continued Mwencha. "Our hope is that we can now start
   looking at [transforming] our continent to see more inclusive growth,
   to see that it adds value to its resources and [encourages trade]
   within the continent."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/african-union-seeks-washington-partne
   rship-to-combat-terrorism/1587755.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/african-union-seeks-washington-partnership-to-combat-terrorism/1587755.html