Xinhua - English

BANJUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Top leaders from African states Saturday convened in the small West African country of Gambia to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the continent.

The Seventh Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) witnesses a gathering of 33 African heads of state and government, together with guests and observers from around the world.

The African Union which was created only six years ago has established itself as a defining voice in areas like development, security and human rights, and Africa as a whole has many success stories to tell in these three areas, said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the opening ceremony.

The Millennium Development Goals have had a "galvanizing" effect on governments throughout Africa, said Annan, adding that "Africa's development disproves the distorted and widespread image of our continent as a sea of undifferentiated poverty."

The theme of the two-day summit is the rationalization of regional economic communities (RECs) and regional integration.

Speaking on Africa's security, Annan said that compared to a decade ago, the number of violent conflicts has dropped dramatically, and Africa is learning better to manage and resolve conflicts, and prevent new conflicts from breaking out.

Africa has also made progress on human rights, added Annan, saying that human rights was no longer viewed by Africans as a rich country's luxury, and most African states have democratically elected governments.

Annan urged Africa to do far better in building a comprehensive strategy for the future.

The summit scheduled on July 1-2 will going to discuss a number of issues in a draft decision submitted by the 9th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of AU closed here on Friday. The issues to be discussed include rationalization of RECs and regional integration, financing of the AU, situation in Darfur and Middle East, refugees and internally displaced persons, establishment of Pan-African radio and television channel, reform of the UN, HIV/AIDS, and bird flu.

It is also going to mention issues related to poverty, food security, refugees, children and women's rights, said Alpha Oumar Konare, chairperson of the AU Commission, on the same occasion.

The last gathering of the biannual AU summit was held in Khartoum, Sudan, in January this year. Enditem