ADDIS ABABA , Ethiopia ( CNN ) -- African leaders have chosen Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi as chairman of the African Union , according to Ethiopian and Libyan official news agencies . Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will chair the African Union for one year . At a closed session on Monday , the 53-member Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government elected Gadhafi to replace the Tanzanian President , Jakaya Kikwete , who held the position for the last year . Chairmanship of the AU went to the northern African nation because the post is a rotating position held by heads of state for one year . According to Libya 's official news agency , Gadhafi will attempt in his new role `` to take a decision on establishing an executive instrument for the AU , to push Africa forward to become African united states , such as the United States of Africa . '' U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood answered only in general terms about how the United States would deal with its former adversary as the AU president . `` In terms of our working with the AU , we 're going to continue , because we have a lot of interests and joint interest in terms of trying to bring peace and stability and economic development and delivery of humanitarian assistance to the continent where it 's needed , '' Wood said . `` And so the AU is an important partner for us . It will continue to be . And we 'll just have to see how it goes . '' The United States named Libya a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979 and severed diplomatic relations in 1981 after years of strained relations following a 1969 coup that left Gadhafi as head of the government . But the two countries moved closer after Libya agreed to pay restitution to families of victims of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie , Scotland , and announced its decision to abandon a weapons of mass destruction program . The United States removed Libya from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and restored full diplomatic relations in 2006 .
He replaces the President of Tanzania , who held the position for the last year . The chairmanship is an annual rotating position . Gadhafi will continue in his new role to push Africa ` ` to become African united states '' He says the African Union is an ` ` important idea ''