PARIS : Africa Abandoned?
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French and African leaders head this week to the Atlantic Ocean resort town of La Baule for the 16th Franco-African Summit, expected to focus on African fears that they are being abandoned by a developed world preoccupied with developments in Eastern Europe.
The thaw in the Cold War has also robbed many African leaders of their main trump card in world affairs--the ability to play off East against West to win additional aid.
Ironically, a number of key leaders from the 37 invited countries won’t be attending because of political upheaval in their homelands. Among the probable absentees are Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, Felix Houphouet-Boigny of the Ivory Coast, and Omar Bongo of Gabon, all three of whom are involved in the delicate process of creating multi-party systems at home.
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