Hon Speaker, the ACDP commends the principled stand taken by President Jacob Zuma on the Cte d'Ivoire crisis. While many African leaders do not insist on getting the true facts of what happened there; before, during and after the second round of the presidential elections, President Zuma called for a thorough investigation into what really happened. Former President Thabo Mbeki was requested by Mr Jean Ping, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, to intervene in Cte d'Ivoire, where he spent two days in Abidjan. What is surprising is that Mr Mbeki's report has not been made public, nor have his recommendations been acknowledged or taken into consideration. We question why so many African leaders don't want their people to know the truth about what happened in Cte d'Ivoire.
The ACDP, that believes in righteousness, fairness and justice, wants to know why the African Union, AU, does not publicly state whether or not they agree with Mr Mbeki's report, and why they have not accepted his recommendations. That, we believe, would go a long way towards helping to resolve the Cte d'Ivoire crisis.
The ACDP calls on African leaders to be honest, fair and principled on the Cte d'Ivoire debacle, and refuse to be manipulated by foreign powers that appear to be demanding their unquestionable support in exchange for foreign aid. Thank you. [Applause.]