Madalitso Kateta, AfricaNews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi
Malawi president Joyce Banda will not be among African presidents attending the Africa Union's heads of Summit in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Minister of Information and Civic education Moses Kunkuyu has said. He has since disclosed that the country's vice president Khumbo Kachali has been delegated to attend the conference.
Kunkuyu however said that the president was not sabotaging the meeting following the recent withdrawal of the country to host the meeting.
“Malawi is a democratic state and as such the vice president can be delegated to represent the president at any international summit as he is not representing his interests but that of Malawians, “he said.
He said the Malawi government does not regret losing a chance to host the African Union heads of state summit which was supposed to be held in Lilongwe considering the grounds which made the country to withdraw from hosting the summit.
Kunkuyu said in the government of Malawi respects international law and it would be a disgrace to the Pan-African wish to host Sudanese president Mohamed Omar al-Bashir in Malawi considering that he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Kunkuyu said that it was very unfortunate that some quarters were looking at the withdrawal of Malawi to host the AU heads of state summit as an issue between Malawi and Sudan.
“This issue is not about Malawi and Sudan as we should know that Malawi as a sovereign state has the right to make decisions that are of the benefit of its citizens, “he said.
He said being a signatory to international treaties Malawi had to abide to the international interests and the country had more to gain from withdrawing from the AU on the grounds of Omar al-Bashir’s attendance.
He said that the true spirit of Pan-Africanism required that leaders have to respect and promote the living standards of that are being governed.
He said the AU was not about presidents but rather the interests of all Africans hence Sudan should have sent a delegation to represent the country at the summit in Lilongwe.
“Malawi did not say that it did not want a Sudanese delegation at the conference all we asked for was that the country should send a delegation to the meeting instead of al-Bashir,” he said.
Malawi president Joyce Banda will not be among African presidents attending the Africa Union's heads of Summit in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Minister of Information and Civic education Moses Kunkuyu has said. He has since disclosed that the country's vice president Khumbo Kachali has been delegated to attend the conference.
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