LOOKING AHEAD ON THE U.S.- AFRICAN UNION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ADDIS ABABA 001359

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AF/E, D (T. SMITH),S/P,
AF/EPS, S/CT
AF/FO FOR AMB. RUTH DAVIS
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPKO EAID PGOV AU
SUBJECT: LOOKING AHEAD ON THE U.S.- AFRICAN UNION
RELATIONSHIP

REF: A. 05 ADDIS ABABA 3844

B. 04 ADDIS ABABA 3183

C. 04 ADDIS ABABA 3185

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.


1. (SBU) Note from Charge Vicki Huddleston: This "think
piece" on the African Union (AU) was drafted by political
officer Cate McGeary whose brilliant coverage of the AU over
the past two years has kept pace with the rapid changes in
the institution and in our relations with it. Her
voluminous, timely, and nuanced reporting greatly influenced
the implementation of U.S. policy goals with the AU,
particularly in support of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS).
Kate will be replaced by an entire U.S. Mi++EoQQ-pficial emergence
of the AU from the OAU in July 2002. Post has s~xbo|x. The AU looks to
the USG for political support and dialogue. Regularizing
policy planning talks with the AU and playing a lead role in
new Addis-based AU coordination structures would enable us to
achieve our shared goals with Africa. Building closer
relationships with AU member state missions in Addis would
also provide the USG with greater insight into AU
decision-making processes and ensure U.S. views are
considered. The AU Commission has shown great political will
in pushing forward a member state-approved plan of action for
achieving peace and security, governance, development,
health, and other objectives shared by the USG. Bolstering
AU initiatives and institutional capacity to achieve them, as
well as helping the AU fine-tune its interventions, will help
promote best practices on the continent and foster AU member
state adherence to higher standards. These ideas for
building a mutually productive relationship with the AU are
expanded upon in a "Mini USAU MPP" developed by post for
Department consideration (to be emailed to AF/RSA and AF/FO)
ahead of the departure of our current AU Watcher. End
summary.

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BRIEF OVERVIEW
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3. (SBU) While the OAU was focused on ridding Africa of
colonialism and had largely been discredited for its inaction
in the face of member state abuses, the AU promotes African
peace, security and stability as a prerequisite for its
development and integration agenda. The 15-member AU Peace
and Security Council (PSC) was launched in May 2004. AU
engagement in Darfur through the African Mission in Sudan
(AMIS) has been seen as a test of the new organization's
political will, and of its ability to work with Western
partners. The AU believes that its deployment to Darfur
demonstrates an attitude of "non-indifference" to problems
facing the continent, rather than the OAU's
"non-interference." The AU is increasingly looked to by
member states to coordinate positions in international fora
and to increase African bargaining power in trade
negotiations. It seeks to foster member state best practices
in areas of good governance, health and development. (Note:
There are 53 AU member states, including Western Sahara but
not Morocco. End note.)


4. (SBU) AU ability to deliver in holding member states to
higher standards and positively intervening to address crises
on the continent continues to be constrained by its
simultaneous efforts to transform the institution from an
OAU-inherited structure. One-quarter of AU member states
were sanctioned in 2006 for failing to pay assessed
contributions, and many complain of AU Commission (AUC) lack
of transparency. The AUC has begun a process of improving
management, financial and administrative practices -- and

ADDIS ABAB 00001359 002 OF 005


engages in dialogue with international partners to garner
support for that effort.


5. (SBU) Over 35 non-African countries have been accredited
to the AU since March 2005. Addis-based Ambassadors have
recently decided to form a separate donor/partner
coordination mechanism devoted to AU issues. While the EU is
currently the AU's largest donor and political partner, the
AU looks to the U.S. for political support and engagement on
key issues such as continental peace and security, terrorism,
health challenges, trade and UN reform. The U.S. will be the
first non-African country to have a separate mission to the
AU.

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DEVELOP THE INSTITUTION, CREATE A BETTER SECURITY PARTNER
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6. (SBU) The African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) is an ad-hoc
arrangement heavily dependent on partner support as the AU
lacks the institutional structures to run a comprehensive
peace support operation. The African Standby Force (ASF)
effort is critical to rendering the AU more capable of
managing operations of various levels of complexity, whether
to fill the gap before the UN is able to deploy or to retain
longer-term responsibility for conflict management. ASF
envisions the creation of five regional brigades by 2010. In
conjunction with key partners, including the USG, the AUC is
leading the effort to establish common logistics; standard
operating procedures (SOPs); command, control, communications
and information systems (C3IS); training and evaluation
procedures and doctrine for African peacekeeping forces.


7. (SBU) The USG should continue to utilize the Global Peace
Operations Initiative (GPOI) and other programs to play a
lead role in C3IS support for the AU ASF effort, and work to
expand NATO-AU relations into a longer-term training and
capacity-building partnership. Ensuring the timely
transition of AMIS to a UN operation, and that AMIS is
enhanced to meet growing challenges in Darfur in the interim,
will help maintain AU credibility. Paying heed to AMIS
lessons-learned will go far in fostering a more capable AU
intervention in the next crisis and before ASF is in place.
Such lessons include making sure the AU mission has adequate
logistics and command and control structures in place prior
to significant deployment, and supporting headquarters
financial and administrative structures able to meet the
requirements of a field mission.


8. (SBU) Any effort to improve AU resolution of regional
conflicts also requires support to improve central AU
management, finance, procurement and administrative
practices. Slow or substandard financial reporting,
recruitment and payment of contractors, and lack of a
procurement apparatus severely hamper AU capability in AMIS
and beyond. The USG should play a lead role in mustering
international partners to support AU institutional
capacity-building, as well as in pressing the AU to implement
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