ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel kicked off her first tour of sub-Saharan Africa with a plea for more democratic freedoms in Ethiopia and an enhanced European role on the continent.

Her first trip to the region since taking the helm of Europe’s largest economy two years ago is also due to take her to South Africa — where she is expected to pressure the government over Zimbabwe — and Liberia.

“We are in favour of further openness of the country, of the political system,” Merkel said at a joint press conference with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Addis Ababa.

“We have the interest to see this society more open and the opposition’s rights protected,” she said, adding: “The respect of human rights is among the factors very conducive for development.”

Meles — a top western ally in the region who has come under scrutiny for his rights record and crackdowns against opposition groups — deflected criticism and promised Ethiopia would contribute troops to a new Darfur force.

“We have been asked to contribute to the UNAMID, we promised 5,000 troops, and we’ll do so, and I can tell you they’ll be fully equipped troops,” Meles said at the press conference.

UNAMID is a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force jointly run by the African Union and United Nations which is set to replace an embattled AU contingent in the troubled western Darfur region of Sudan.

Ethiopia also sent its troops to Somalia last year to support the interim government backed by the international community and oust an Islamist militia which briefly controlled the country and is suspected of ties with Al-Qaeda.

Human rights organisations have criticised Meles’ regime for its repression of political opponents who claimed they were robbed of victory in 2005 parliamentary polls.

Ethiopia is also under close watch over military sweeps currently under way in the rebellious Ogaden and Oromia regions.

On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed a measure aimed at freezing security assistance to Ethiopia if the Horn of Africa country does not improve its democratic record.

But Meles dismissed the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act — still only a bill — as unjust.

“It is an unfair decision. It is the result of a vendetta… If it was about the human rights situation, they should have looked at Eritrea first,” he said, in reference to Ethiopia’s neighbour and arch-foe.

“We have excellent relations with the the USA, I hope they’ll stay like that. But it is a two way thing,” he added.

Addis Ababa hosts the headquarters of the African Union, where Merkel was to give a speech and hold talks with AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare before flying to South Africa for the longest leg of her tour.

Her aides said the chancellor plans to urge South African President Thabo Mbeki to take a tougher line on neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is already dominating the upcoming EU-Africa summit, with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown threatening to boycott it if President Robert Mugabe attempted to defy a travel ban and attend the meeting.

Merkel has signalled that despite her abhorrence of Mugabe’s policies which have plunged the once prosperous nation into a state of meltdown, she believes his presence should not derail the event.

China’s trade links and political influence have grown spectacularly in recent years and Merkel stressed in Addis Ababa that Europe should be more present on the continent.

The “EU has to do more for Africa, and the coming EU-AU meeting has an importance to find new development strategies to enhance our cooperation,” she said.

Merkel is wrap up her Africa tour in Liberia, where she is expected Sunday.