CAIRO, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Leaders of African Union countries gathered on Monday in Libya's capital, Tripoli, to discuss regional armed conflicts and climate change.
The summit is being held on the eve of mass celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution that brought Muammar Gaddafi to power.
The African Union said in a statement that the summit would "provide Africa's leaders with an opportunity to review the ongoing efforts to address the challenges of peace and security on the continent."
The participants are expected to focus on the continent's trouble spots, primarily Somalia, which has been without an effective government since 1991.
Another region on the agenda is Sudan's war-torn province of Darfur. Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir will take part in the summit despite an arrest warrant issued for him on war crimes and genocide charges by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The leaders of African countries are also to develop a united position on climate change, and to decide on the size of a compensation claim against industrialized nations. According to the UN Environment Program, between 75 million and 250 million people in Africa may face water shortages by 2020, and the continent will need up to $50 billion every year to cope with the effects of climate change.
Lumumba Di-Aping, Sudan's deputy UN representative, said at a gathering of African officials in Ethiopia last week that the compensation claim "could be anything up to 5% of global GDP," which would be equivalent to around $3 trillion.
African leaders also suggested that developed countries should cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2020, and that richer nations should provide $67 billion a year to help the least well-off countries cope with climate change and rising temperatures.
