It is up to African leaders to show their will and political courage in order to assure that this new pan-African institution becomes an efficient instrument and not a place for endless discussions.

My actions to promote peace, the mediation missions which I carried out during many conflicts, which very often occurred between brothers of the same country, are not driven by any ulterior motives or any calculations based on personal ambitions.

The African Union has to act in order to put an end to armed conflicts that undermine the continent, to fight against the devastation caused by AIDS and other contagious diseases, to promote sustainable development of its member states.

The free market economy is supposed to be the only path leading to the happiness of humanity by promoting wealth and prosperity, power and influence of nations.

The shock caused by the September 11 events has also lead to a thorough reflection on the existing disparity between rich and poor countries, on the misery of populations of the South.

The world is now aware that the most unavoidable and most dangerous weapon that exists is the blind decisiveness of a man ready to sacrifice his life for an obscure cause.

Therefore, every country has to understand that fighting against international terrorism is not for the sake of the United States, but for the sake of themselves, and, to a larger extent, in the name of stability of international relations.

When they favor the access of other people to education and health care, the countries of the North not only demonstrate generosity or solidarity, but also implement the principles of respecting and promoting human rights.

Do not forget that the Arab countries, starting with Algeria and Egypt, are the ones that have paid the heaviest toll because of Islamic terror.

Because the world is in economic recession, which worsened since this drama happened, and our country will bear the burden of all of these consequences.

But it is important to observe that when Europe or the United Nations impose sanctions that are supposed to be aimed against a certain regime, usually generally millions of people end up being directly punished.

But since independence, Gabon is one of the few countries in Central Africa that enjoys peace and stability.

Certainly, Africa accounts for only l % of world trade, and we cannot assure our development on our own.

Economic sanctions rarely achieve the desired results.

Globalization, far from putting an end to power diplomacy between States, has, on the contrary, intensified it.

I am in favor of complete freedom of information and of free access to the new communication tools, in particular the Internet.

I'm not aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize!

In brief, Western democracy, as other political models, is not exportable to all regions of the world.

In short, we have, among African countries, a duty of solidarity.

Information on the Internet must be as free as in the newspapers.