Leaders of the African Union countries are meeting for a three-day summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Abeba.

As the conference opened, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi failed in a bid to hold on to the union's rotating presidency for an extra year. He will be succeeded by Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika.

The conference voted to grant Zimbabwe a place in the African Union's Peace and Security Council. The Union's decision to admit Zimbabwe to one of its most powerful bodies comes as the country emerges from international isolation after the power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. 

Archive photo (EPA/ANP)