"To be Secretary-General of the OAU is not usually seen as a job for an ambitious politician, but if anyone can give the post real stature, it is probably Salim. He has impressive credentials. Salim indicated immediately in his acceptance speech that he planned to be an interventionist Secretary-General, with his references to the political choices that faced the OAU and that were needed now. And not all of those who voted for him were too pleased by his calls to action-on the economic front, with the need to get rid of 'the image of a Continent where poverty is endemic, where human suffering is taken for granted,' on the social front, to ensure that the 'social economic and political changes being sought to translate into the greater good for its general citizenship;' and in the adoption of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, a first step towards 'institutionalizing human rights' in Africa, but which has yet to be adopted by many States. Salim also put considerable stress on the problems which transcend national boundaries - refugees, the environment and economic cooperation."
