African summit closes; no Union yet

African leaders have ended a two-day summit in Libya by announcing the creation of a new African Union -- loosely modelled on the European Union.

The Organisation for African Unity or OAU says all of its fifty-three member states supported the proposal by the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.

He flashed a victory sign when the African Union was proclaimed.

But correspondents say the project may just remain a vision.

Under OAU regulations two-thirds of member states or thirty-six must ratify the proposal before it can be legally binding.

So far only thirty have done so. The new Union would comprise a range of pan-African bodies including a parliament, central bank, monetary fund and court of justice.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service