African Union President Jean Ping (L) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hold a news conference during the European Commission and African Union meeting in Brussels June 1, 2011. REUTERS/Yves Herman (BELGIUM - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union President Jean Ping (L) shakes hands with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso after receiving a copy of the 'Schuman Declaration' at a news conference during the European Commission and African Union meeting in Brussels June 1, 2011. REUTERS/Yves Herman (BELGIUM - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union President Jean Ping (L) receives a copy of the 'Schuman Declaration' from European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at a news conference during the European Commission and African Union meeting in Brussels June 1, 2011. REUTERS/Yves Herman (BELGIUM - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union president Jean Ping (L) shakes hands with Freance's President Nicolas Sarkozy as he arrives to attend a working session during the G8 summit in Deauville May 27, 2011. REUTERS/Damien Meyer/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) 

Chairman of the Commission of the African Union Jean Ping (R) and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon talk during a news conference at the Arab League headquarter in Cairo April 14, 2011. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) 

(L-R) Chairman of the Commission of the African Union Jean Ping, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Catherine Ashton and Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu talk during their meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, April 14, 2011. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) 

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lene Espersen (L) talks with African Union Commission head Jean Ping before the start of the first contact group meeting on Libya in Doha April 13, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) 

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon talks with African Union Commission head Jean Ping (R) before the start of the first international contact group meeting on Libya in Doha April 13, 2011. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) 

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (L) talks with African Union Commission head Jean Ping before the start of the first international contact group meeting on Libya in Doha April 13, 2011. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) 

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lene Espersen (L) talks with African Union Commission head Jean Ping before the start of the first international contact group meeting on Libya in Doha April 13, 2011. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) 

Presidents Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Denis Sassou Nguessou of Congo, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and African Union Secretary-General Jean Ping (front L-R) stand outside a tent erected at Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya residence in Tripoli April 10, 2011. Gaddafi, making his first appearance in front of the foreign media in weeks, joined a visiting African Union delegation at his Bab al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli on Sunday. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST IMAGES OF THE DAY) 

Leaders (L-R) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, African Union (AU) Chairman President Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi, African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping, and Switzerland's Joseph Deiss, President of the 65th United Nations (UN) General Assembly, stand for the national anthem of the African Union at the 16th African Union Summit, in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 30, 2011. Africa and the international community must stand firm against efforts by Ivory Coast's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to cling onto power, U.N. Secretary-General Ban said. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: POLITICS) 

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (C) talks to (L-R) African Union (AU) Chairman President Bingu Wa Mutharika, African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping and Switzerland's Joseph Deiss, President of the 65th United Nations (UN) General Assembly at the 16th African Union Summit, in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 30, 2011. Africa and the international community must stand firm against efforts by Ivory Coast's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to cling onto power, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the summit. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping addresses a news conference at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa January 29, 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) 

African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping addresses a news conference at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa January 29, 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) 

African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping addresses a news conference at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa January 29, 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) 

African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping addresses a news conference at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa January 29, 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) 

Africa Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping addresses a media briefing at the African Union Summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa January 28, 2011. African leaders must insist Ivory Coast's rivals for the presidency hold face-to-face talks to resolve the post-election crisis, the African Union mediator said on Friday. Picture taken January 28, 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: POLITICS) 

Africa Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping and Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan arrive at the African Union Summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 28, 2011. African leaders must insist Ivory Coast's rivals for the presidency hold face-to-face talks to resolve the post-election crisis, the African Union mediator said on Friday. Picture taken January 28, 2011. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (ETHIOPIA - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS) 

African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping (L) shakes hands with Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo at his private residence in Abidjan December 17, 2010. An election meant to resolve Ivory Coast's decade-long political crisis has left the country with two rivals claiming the presidency, after incumbent Gbagbo defied world pressure to hand power to Alassane Ouattara. Ping is visiting Abidjan to meet Ouattara and Gbagbo. REUTERS/Stringer (IVORY COAST - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union Secretary-General Jean Ping (R) holds a joint news conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso after the closing ceremony of the Africa-EU summit in Tripoli November 30, 2010. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union Secretary-General Jean Ping (R) holds a joint news conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso after the closing ceremony of the Africa-EU summit in Tripoli November 30, 2010. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union Secretary-General Jean Ping (R) speaks during a news conference after the closing ceremony of the Africa-EU summit in Tripoli November 30, 2010. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS) 

Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, takes part in the third EU-Africa summit in Tripoli November 30, 2010. The European Union and African states will urge Sudan on Tuesday to accept the results of next year's referendum on whether the south of the country should secede, according to a draft joint declaration seen by Reuters. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS) 

Werner Schlager of Austria returns to Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium in the men's doubles quarterfinals at the 2010 European Table Tennis Championships in Ostrava, September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLIC - Tags: SPORT TABLE TENNIS) 

Werner Schlager of Austria returns to Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium in the men's singles quarterfinals at the 2010 European Table Tennis Championships in Ostrava, September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLICSPORT - Tags: SPORT TABLE TENNIS) 

Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium serves to Werner Schlager of Austria during the men's singles quarterfinals at the 2010 European Table Tennis Championships in Ostrava, September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLIC - Tags: SPORT TABLE TENNIS) 

Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium returns to Werner Sclager of Austria during the men's singles quarterfinals at the 2010 European Table Tennis Championships in Ostrava, September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLICSPORT - Tags: SPORT TABLE TENNIS) 

Werner Schlager of Austria reacts to his victory over Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium in the men's quarterfinals at the 2010 European Table Tennis Championships in Ostrava, September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Petr Josek (CZECH REPUBLIC - Tags: SPORT TABLE TENNIS) 

Olympic pole vault gold medallist Yelena Isinbayeva (C) of Russia receives the Youth Olympic flame from Olympic table tennis silver medallist Jean-Philippe Gatien of France as she runs down Singapore's Orchard Road shopping strip August 13, 2010. The Youth Olympic flame completed its journey in Singapore on Friday, where the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be held from August 14-26. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash (SINGAPORE - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS ATHLETICS TABLE TENNIS) 

African Union (AU) Commission Chairman Jean Ping waves on arrival at the African Union Summit in Ugandan capital Kampala July 26, 2010. REUTERS/Benedicte Desrus (UGANDA - Tags: POLITICS) 

The Chairman of the African Union Commision Jean Ping (from L to R), Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and African Union Chairman President Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi attend the opening the AU Peace Hub in Uganda's capital Kampala, July 24, 2010. REUTERS/Xavier Toya (UGANDA - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) 

African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping reacts during a news conference during the 13th session of the UNIDO General Conference in Vienna's U.N. headquarters December 7, 2009. REUTERS/Herwig Prammer (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) 

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Kandeh Yumkella, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan and African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping (L-R) address a news conference during the 13th session of the UNIDO General Conference in Vienna's U.N. headquarters December 7, 2009. REUTERS/Herwig Prammer (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) 

African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping during a news conference during the 13th session of the UNIDO General Conference in Vienna's U.N. headquarters December 7, 2009. REUTERS/Herwig Prammer (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) 

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Kandeh Yumkella (L) listens to the African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping during a news conference during the 13th session of the UNIDO General Conference in Vienna's U.N. headquarters December 7, 2009. REUTERS/Herwig Prammer (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) 

Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina attends a meeting with ousted president Marc Ravalomanana (not in the picture) in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 3, 2009. The African Union's top diplomat Jean Ping on Tuesday urged Madagascar's feuding leaders to seal a power-sharing deal at talks in Ethiopia and end a months-long political crisis. REUTERS/Irada Humbatova (ETHIOPIA POLITICS) 

Madagascar's ousted president Marc Ravalomanana attends a meeting with Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina (not in the picture) in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 3, 2009. The African Union's top diplomat Jean Ping on Tuesday urged Madagascar's feuding leaders to seal a power-sharing deal during talks in Ethiopia and end the political crisis which has been ongoing for months. REUTERS/Irada Humbatova (ETHIOPIA POLITICS) 

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki (R) hands to the chairperson of African Union Commission Jean Ping, the report compiled by the high level panel on the Darfur crisis, at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, October 8, 2009. Mbeki is chairing an AU panel charged with helping to bring peace to Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur by making recommendations to the AU's Peace and Security Council. REUTERS/Irada Humbatova (ETHIOPIA CONFLICT CRIME LAW POLITICS) 

African Union (AU) Commission chief Jean Ping talks to the media after his meeting with Venezuela's President Chavez at Miraflores Palace in Caracas June 9, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (VENEZUELA POLITICS) 

African Union (AU) Commission chief Jean Ping talks to the media after his meeting with Venezuela's President Chavez at Miraflores Palace in Caracas June 9, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (VENEZUELA POLITICS) 

African Union (AU) Commission chief Jean Ping talks to the media after his meeting with Venezuela's President Chavez at Miraflores Palace in Caracas June 9, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (VENEZUELA POLITICS HEADSHOT) 

(L to R) European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping and UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah address a joint news conference at the end of the International Somali donors conference in Brussels April 23, 2009. International donors have pledged more than $250 million to help Somalia boost security and restore order, a senior European Union official said on the sidelines of a donors conference on Thursday.
REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM POLITICS HEADSHOT BUSINESS) 

(L to R) EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping address a joint news conference at the end of the International Somali donors conference in Brussels April 23, 2009. International donors have pledged more than $250 million to help Somalia boost security and restore order, a senior European Union official said on the sidelines of a donors conference on Thursday. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM POLITICS HEADSHOT BUSINESS) 

(L to R) African Union peace and security commissioner Ramtane Lamamra, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, Somalia's Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping attend the International Somali donors conference in Brussels April 23, 2009. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged international donors on Thursday to provide more funds to help Somalia fight piracy and restore order after two decades of anarchy. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM CONFLICT SOCIETY POLITICS) 

Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus (L) welcomes African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping at Prague Castle in Prague April 21, 2009. REUTERS/David W Cerny (CZECH REPUBLIC POLITICS) 

Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus (L) welcomes African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping at Prague Castle in Prague April 21, 2009. REUTERS/David W Cerny (CZECH REPUBLIC POLITICS) 

Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus (L) welcomes African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping at Prague Castle in Prague April 21, 2009. REUTERS/David W Cerny (CZECH REPUBLIC POLITICS) 

African Union commission chairman Jean Ping (C) arrives to mediate peace talks between representatives of the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement in Doha February 10, 2009. Sudan's government began talks with one of the main Darfur rebel factions in Qatar on Tuesday, but other groups said the meeting would fail because they had not all been included. REUTERS/Stringer (QATAR) 

African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping speaks to the media after a closed-door session with leaders at the 12th African Union Summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa February 4, 2009.REUTERS/Antony Njuguna (ETHIOPIA) 

African Union (AU) Commission chief Jean Ping arrives for the summit on the ongoing war crisis in eastern Congo in Kenya's capital Nairobi November 7, 2008. Congolese Tutsi rebels and government troops exchanged mortar and small arms fire in a clash on Friday in east Congo, a few kilometres (miles) from a camp filled with refugees, Congolese and U.N. officers said. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA) 

African Union (AU) Commission chief Jean Ping arrives for the summit on the ongoing war crisis in eastern Congo in Kenya's capital Nairobi November 7, 2008. Congolese Tutsi rebels and government troops exchanged mortar and small arms fire in a clash on Friday in east Congo, a few kilometres (miles) from a camp filled with refugees, Congolese and U.N. officers said. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA) 

South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak (7th L) and speakers pose for photographs before the World Leaders Forum for commemorating the 60th anniversary of South Korea at a hotel in Seoul October 30, 2008. The speakers are (L-R) former New Zealand Governor-General Silvia Rose Cartwright, former Indonesian President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Sebastian Cohen, former British Prime Minister John Major, former Russian Prime Minister Evgeny Maksimovich Primakov, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, South Korean President Lee, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping, former Japanese Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro, former Australian Prime Minister Robert James Lee Hawke, and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak (SOUTH KOREA) 

Belgium's Jean-Mishel Saive serves to Ukraine's Yaroslav Zhmudenko during the men's singles at the European Table Tennis Championships in St.Petersburg October 9, 2008. REUTERS/ Alexander Demianchuk (RUSSIA) 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) welcomes African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels October 1, 2008. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM) 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping address a news conference after a meeting at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels October 1, 2008. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM) 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping address a news conference after a meeting at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels October 1, 2008. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM) 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping address a news conference after a meeting at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels October 1, 2008. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM) 

Group of Eight outreach leaders and international organization leaders pose for a family photo during Group of Eight (G8) Hokkaido Toyako Summit at the Windsor Hotel Toya Resort and Spa in Toyako, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, July 7, 2008. (L-R) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping, Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ghana's President John Kufuor, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, U.S. President George W. Bush, Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, South African President Thabo Mbeki, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Tanzania's President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Zenawi Meles, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and World Bank President Robert Zoellick. REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad (JAPAN)