From Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

Sharm El-Sheikh, July 01, GNA - The 11th Summit of the African Union (AU) opened in the Egyptian Red Sea Resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday with a call on the Continent's political leaders not to turn their backs on Zimbabwe.

Mr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AU Commission, said Africa must assume its responsibilities and do all within its power to help the Zimbabwean parties to find a common ground and work together in the supreme interest of their country to overcome the current challenges. The call comes just a day after President Robert Mugabe had been sworn-in for another term following his sweeping victory of the internationally discredited presidential run-off.

Mr Ping said the election crises that continued to haunt the democratic process on the continent should compel "us to exert more sustained efforts to entrench the democratic culture in each of our countries and challenge our ability to face up to the electoral crises and disputes on the continent."

President John Agyekum Kufuor is among the leaders of the 53-member Pan-African Regional bloc attending the two-day meeting, which is being held under the theme: "Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on Water and Sanitation."

The year 2008 is the mid-point of the path towards achieving the MDGs but there is growing anxiety that many African nations are off track in realising the goals.

The leaders are also discussing regional political and economic integration as well as Africa's response to the global emergency caused by the food and crude oil price hike.

The AU Commission Chairperson, pledged his determination to introduce the needed reforms to enhance the performance of the Commission and build its initiative and implementation capacity. The exercise entailed putting premium on competence, experience, efficiency and strengthening measures to render transparent and credible management of financial and material resources provided by the member states and partners of the AU.

He said the objective was to create an efficient structure commensurate with the clear visibility and strong credibility achieved by the Union within a short period of time.

President Jikaya Kikwete, Tanzanian President and Chairman of the AU, also made reference to the Zimbabwean situation and urged the international community to work with the South African Development Cooperation (SADC) to return political normalcy to the country. Africans, he said, had suffered a lot of conflicts and were tired of this. The leaders therefore have a responsibility to end the suffering.

Dr. Asha Rose Migro, Deputy United Nations (UN) Secretary General, said Africa's partnership with the world body was as crucial as its regional integration.

"We must act together and act quickly. Our work in helping Kenya to resolve its political crisis, shows that when political leaders are willing, the AU and the UN can form a powerful coalition to live up to our founding ideals."

Host President Hosni Mubarak, said there was the need for increased solidarity and cooperation among Africans, adding that, they should speak with one voice to defend the interests of the continent. 01 July 2008