President Thabo Mbeki left for the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit in Khartoum, Sudan Sunday. Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is already in Sudan for the two-day summit. Issues under discussion include the political and economic integration of the African continent. Foreign Affairs’ Ronnie Mamoepa says reform of the United Nations including its Security Council will also be discussed.

Meanwhile, the DA’s Douglas Gibson says Sudan should not be hosting the AU summit and the country’s president should not be allowed to act as president of the organisation. According to Gibson, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir presides over a government which is directly responsible for aiding and abetting the human rights disaster in Darfur. He accuses Sudan of not caring about millions of its citizens who are discriminated against because of race. Gibson has urged the South African government to use its considerable influence to see to it that Bashir does not accede to the presidency of the AU.