New York Times Examines How New African Union is ‘Enhancing’ Mbeki’s Image After Controversy Over South African HIV/AIDS Programs
The New York Times today examines how South African President Thabo Mbeki's image is being "enhanc[ed]" by his role as chair of the new African Union, a regional body officially established yesterday to replace the 39-year-old Organization of African Unity. The group, modeled after the European Union, seeks to establish a regional parliament, a central bank and a standing army for peacekeeping purposes. The Times reports that Mbeki in his role as chair, which has already taken him to many industrialized nations to discuss debt relief and trade issues, has been "quietly distancing" him from past controversies. It is helping to "revive his own flagging image," which has suffered in recent years as a result of issues such as South Africa's refusal to supply antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive pregnant women and Mbeki's questioning of the causal link between HIV and AIDS. The full article is available online (Swarns, New York Times, 7/10).
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