AU COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON PREVIEWS AU SUMMIT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 001709 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AND VCI/FO JOHANNESBURG/PRETORIA -- PLEASE PASS TO VCI PDAS FORD SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI AU SU XA SUBJECT: AU COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON PREVIEWS AU SUMMIT ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Streamlining duplication among Africa?s numerous regional economic communities (e.g., SADC, COMESA, IGAD, EAC, WAEMU, CEMAC, ECOWAS, etc.) and establishing a ?United States of Africa? are among the nominal themes of the upcoming African Union Summit to be held in Banjul. More likely outcomes, however, are anticipated decisions on Darfur, Somalia, human rights and migration. Between ministerial and head of state meetings, both China and Cuba are seeking to engage senior African leaders by addressing the AU?s Executive Council. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On June 19, African Union Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare, accompanied by his Chief of Staff Ambassador John Kayode Shinkaiye and AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Julia Dolly Joiner, briefed partner (i.e. non-AU member states) heads of mission about the June 19- July 2 AU Summit in Banjul. AU Summit meetings scheduled include: -- June 19-21: Forum for Civil Society Organizations -- June 22-23: Forum for the Private Sector -- June 22-23: Forum of Women -- June 25-27: Second Coordinating Meeting with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) -- June 27-29: African Panel on Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) -- June 25-26: Twelfth Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) -- June 28-29: Ninth Ordinary Session of the Executive Council (ministerial-level) -- July 1-2: Assembly of the Heads of State/Government ¶3. (U) Konare explained that since the 2005 Abuja Summit, the AU now holds two summits each year, one in January and another in June/July. At the invitation of the Government of The Gambia, this year?s summer Summit will occur in Banjul from June 22-July 2 and address the theme ?Rationalization and Harmonization of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).? Konare noted this theme was chosen because ?RECs are the pillars of the AU, but we need to define competencies.? He announced that the January 2007 Summit would be held in Addis Ababa and address scientific issues, mainly climate change and the industrialization of Africa. The July 2007 summit will be hosted by Ghana, commemorating Ghana?s fiftieth anniversary. -------------- AU PSC TO MEET AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL -------------- ¶4. (U) Konare confirmed that on June 27, the 15-member AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) would meet at the ministerial level in Banjul to discuss pressing issues in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and, time permitting, Cote d?Ivoire and elections in Mauritania. Following the PSC, the AU Committee on Post Conflict in Sudan will meet at the ministerial level. ¶5. (U) According to Konare, events scheduled for June 30 include: -- 9 a.m.: New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) present its report; -- 10 a.m.: informal meeting of the Executive Council to hear special guests from China and Cuba; -- 11 a.m.: Fifth Forum for the APRM will commence. -- afternoon: symposium on human rights to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the African Charter on Human and People?s Rights. -- 5 p.m.: meeting of seven Heads of State to elaborate strategies to develop the ?United States of Africa,? and to discuss the powers of the AU Commission. -- evening: AU award ceremony to recognize an NGO dedicated to children. Konare said the AU Commission hopes this event will set a precedent for other countries to honor similar organizations at future AU Summits. ¶6. (SBU) NOTE: According to Spanish DCM, Cuba?s vice minister for foreign affairs will provide Executive Council members with a preview of a meeting on rationalization of RECs that Cuba will hold in Havana, while China will discuss its bilateral China-Africa Forum. -------------- JULY 1-2 ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE ADDIS ABAB 00001709 002 OF 003 -------------- ¶7. (U) Konare said the Assembly of Heads of State would celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the African Charter on Human and People?s Rights. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who is also the Chairperson of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM),will address the AU, the first such address by a representative of a Caribbean country to the AU. Konare noted it was important to underscore the relationship between African and Caribbean support for the diaspora. Other speakers addressing the Assembly include: UNSYG Kofi Annan, AU Assembly Chairperson President Sassou-Nguesso of Congo, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Julia Dolly Joiner, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),and possibly the Arab League SYG. Nigerian President Obasanjo will then present a report and presentation for the Committee of Seven (created to follow up on recommendations made at the January 2005 Abuja Summit on establishing a ?United States of Africa?). The afternoon will feature an open session on harmonizing the RECs, open to AU members and partners; all other sessions (except the opening session) will be open to AU members only. ¶8. (U) Asked what outcomes the AU would like to see from the Summit, Konare answered by giving the example of the Democratic Republic of Congo being part of three RECs: SADC, CEMAC, and COMESA. He explained that as RECs? duties currently overlap, he hoped the Summit would create a framework for harmonizing RECs and for adopting relevant legal texts at the January 2007 Summit in Addis Ababa. Konare concluded that the AU Commission would brief partners in Addis Ababa on July 5 or 6. ¶9. (SBU) According to Nigeria?s Permanent Mission to the AU, Nigeria has no major agenda for the Summit. President Obasanjo will present the report of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee. Obasanjo will also brief AU Summit participants on the outcomes of the May 2 Special Summit of the AU on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the June 9-13 Africa Fertilizer Summit, both of which were held in Abuja. ¶10. (U) Attendees at the AU Summit from key AU partners will include: -- EC: Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, and Director General for Development Stefano Manservisi; -- UN: UN SYG Kofi Annan, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean Marie Guehenno, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour; -- UK: Lord (David) Triesman, Minister for Africa, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State; -- Japan: Ambassador Keitaro Sato, Ambassador in Charge of Peace-Building and Refugee-Related Issues in Africa and Special Envoy for UN Reform. -------------- AU SUMMIT: THE VIEW FROM PARTNERS -------------- ¶11. (SBU) COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Addis-based AU partners expect little progress on the nominal theme of the AU Summit: rationalizing duplication and overlap among African?s regional economic communities, despite three previous expert meetings, including one recently in the SADC region. Most believe that the AU Summit in Banjul will only mark the beginning of a long process aimed at harmonizing the work of competing RECs, and will likely avoid recommending any radical proposals, such as the dissolution of particular regional groupings. ¶12. (U) The European Commission will continue discussions with the AU on RECs immediately after the AU Summit. According to the European Commission, Commissioner Louis Michel has invited representatives of the AU Commission and RECs to meet in Brussels on July 11. EC poloff reports that as the EC seeks to negotiate a European Partner Agreement with African states, the EC seeks to establish what African countries belong in what economic regions. AU and EU Commissioners for development, trade, social affairs, transport, and infrastructure, will then hold ADDIS ABAB 00001709 003 OF 003 annual consultations with each other October 2-3, in Addis Ababa. ¶13. (SBU) AU partners, such as European allies, the EU, and Japan, have identified UN reform, democracy and governance, budget reform, and refining a common AU position on migration as additional issues likely to arise at the Summit. -- UN REFORM: the ?Committee of 10,? led by Sierra Leone, will present a report on UN reform. According to Japan and Germany, the Committee of 10 is perceived to support South African and Nigerian interests, and is therefore distrusted by some AU members. In contrast, the competing ?Committee of 15? led by Congo-Brazzaville is considered more transparent, and is reportedly supported by Egypt and Algeria. -- DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE: The AU Summit is likely to discuss the proposed African Charter on Democracy and Governance, as well as the integration of NEPAD into the AU (as NEPAD?s three-year transition period ends this year). The fate of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre (charged in Belgium with war crimes and crimes against humanity, but who remains in exile in Senegal) is also to be discussed at the Summit. In addition, the African Court on Human and People?s Rights is to convene for the first time immediately after the Summit; the court?s judges were elected at the previous AU Summit in Khartoum. -- BUDGET REFORM: South Africa is believed to be proposing a unified budget for the African Union that is opposed by smaller countries who fear paying larger assessments. -- MIGRATION: Algeria is advocating the formulation of a draft common AU position on migration, particularly before the anticipated convening of a EU-AU ministerial meeting on migration later this year. French AU-watcher reports that AU Commission Chairperson Konare informed the French ambassador of his opposition to France?s new ?selective immigration? policy (i.e., whereby France would choose immigrants based on its own selective criteria),believing that it would contribute to a new ?brain drain? for Africa. Mali has proposed the establishment of an African Center for the Study of Migration; such initiatives proposed by a single member state are usually referred to the AU Commission for further study. ¶14. (U) PEACE AND SECURITY ISSUES: Key peace and security issues to be discussed at the Summit will likely include the situation in Darfur, Somalia, DRC, and Burundi. -- SUDAN: On Darfur, the June 27 ministerial-level PSC is expected to discuss what actions the AU will take against non-signatories to the May 5 Darfur Peace Agreement, in accordance with earlier May 15 PSC and May UNSC decisions. If no PSC on Darfur is convened immediately prior to the Summit, the June 27 PSC may also result in the formal approval of a revised concept of operations for an enhanced AU Mission in Sudan -- paving the way for a UNSC mandate and the eventual transition of AMIS to a UN-led peacekeeping operation. -- SOMALIA: A June 17 AU PSC communique on Somalia endorses an earlier IGAD resolution that calls for the AU Summit to discuss the deployment of an IGAD peacekeeping mission (IGASOM) to Somalia, and that calls for the AU to advocate having the UNSC lift its arms embargo. Some observers note that the decision to deploy IGASOM to Somalia was taken on the margins of last year?s AU Summit in Abuja. END COMMENT. HUDDLESTON