Libya withdrew from the race Monday leaving the contest to South Africa and Egypt, the only other countries putting themselves forward as candidates.
The AU's Executive Council is currently meeting in Addis Ababa to prepare the agenda for this year's regular AU summit in July, while the PAP is due to hold its inaugural session in the city tomorrow.
Debate during the formative session of PAP, to be presided over by Mozambican President and current chairperson of the AU, Joachim Chissano, would focus on "general key issues, the vision and mission of the Pan African Parliament", the council said.
Libya also told the Executive Council Monday that it would withdraw its "reservation" to a new scale of assessment, which had placed it among the highest annual contributors to the AU budget, conference sources said.
The scale of assessment places Africa into five categories in terms of annual contributions to the AU budget amounting to $40 421 700 for the 2003-04 fiscal year ending in June, according to AU figures.
Egypt, Libya, Nigeria and South Africa are the highest contributors, whose individual scale of assessment presently stands at 7,25%, or $3 368 475 of the current budget.
Eight countries comprise the lowest contributors to the Union's budget, with each of them assessed to contribute 0,25%, amounting to $102 075.
They are Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles and Sierra Leone. – Sapa-DPA.
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
