By Addis Getachew and Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

African leaders have elected Guinean President Alpha Conde as new African Union chairman at a biannual summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday.

Conde, succeeding to Chadian President Idriss Deby, pledged to serve the pan-African body with dedication for the traditional one-year revolving term.

Earlier, African foreign ministers proposed that each member country pay 0.2 percent of their import duty earnings as membership payment for the AU.

According to AU deputy chair Erastus Mwencha, the new financing arrangement should extricate Africa from dependence on foreign sources.

The opening session of the two-day summit saw UN chief Antonio Guterres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas delivering speeches.

Abbas said he appreciated African governments' solidarity towards Palestinians.