President Thabo Mbeki has appealed to the French to help Africans defeat poverty, which he says is threatening millions of lives on the continent. The visiting President made the appeal during his address to the French National Assembly, where he thanked the host nation for backing initiatives aimed at Africa's renewal and conflict resolution.

President Mbeki arrived in Paris on Monday for a three-day state visit there, to discuss with his counterpart, bilateral and economic relations, including the 2010 Soccer World Cup Bid.

Mbeki said poverty and underdevelopment on the continent was threatening to hold back progress.

However, such devastation could be prevented with the help of the international community especially the French.

"Africans on the continent were crying out everyday for a better life of "hope rather than despair. And yet millions wake up daily to a life of seemingly unending poverty," he explained.

He appealed to the developed world to help Africans emerge from poverty saying such a move could have mutual benefits.

"...to free the 800-million Africans from poverty is to create great possibilities for the expansion of the world economy, for the benefit also of those who are better off.

"Humanity has the resources to help the peoples of Africa to end African poverty and underdevelopment. Some among this humanity have the power to act to achieve this result".

The former African Union (AU) chairperson also briefed the National Assembly of the steps African leaders and intelligentsia together with communities were taking to redevelop the continent, rescuing millions out of the jaws of poverty. He explained that Africans, learning from the experience of the European Union (EU) decided to form their own body, to further unite the people as well as bring in African economic recovery.

"For us integration and unity are matters of critical importance. They are of central relevance to the African struggle to defeat poverty and underdevelopment," he asserted. "Taking all these factors into account, and conscious of the imperatives dictated to us by our past, we have as Africans decided that we must do everything we can to determine our own future". Regarding relations between Pretoria and Paris, Mbeki accompanied by senior government officials and top business executives, said the two nations had a common background from their respective struggles during the French revolution and apartheid. He said it was important for the two countries to continue cementing their ties. France was the ninth biggest foreign investor in South Africa in 2002, pouring more than $448-million into South Africa's economy.

President Mbeki also thanked the assembly for approving the repatriation of Sarah Baartman back to her South African home after being taken to Europe, where she was degraded with her genitals displayed to the public. – BuaNews.