The 13th Africa Partnership Forum ended Monday evening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, without any closing ceremony or final statement, due to divergences between African countries and donors, PANA reported from here.

Strong divergences emerged between the two parties at the end of the session on the results of the Global Summit on Climate Change held from 11 to 18 December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

While donors pleaded for the forum to endorse the results of the Copenhagen Summit, the representatives of African states refused, on the grounds that they were not mandated for that.

The closing session was delayed for several hours to allow for reconciliation of the two stances through intense negotiations, separate meetings of the mediation efforts of the African Union.

After rejecting the first draft of the final statement and the second at 20 hours (17 hours universal time), the chairman of the forum, Ethiopian Newai Gebre-Ab, resolved to announce the end of the session from a discrete microphone in the back of the meeting room.

With the serenity of the opening ceremony Monday morning and the atmosphere that prevailed during the three thematic sessions of the forum, none could imagine such a non-consensual outcome.

In the presence of the Executive Secretary of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, participants discussed progress achieved in fighting against climate change as well as on the front of food security.

They also gave serious thought to the impact of the global financial crisis on African health systems and then listened to a presentation of the AU Plan to promote regional integration in Africa for the 2010-2015 period.

The Africa Partnership Forum annually brings together African countries and their bilateral and multilateral partners.

Addis Ababa - Pana 27/01/2010