AFRICAN UNION EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING, JANUARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000264

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MOPS AU
SUBJECT: AFRICAN UNION EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING, JANUARY
25, 2006


1. (U) SUMMARY. Opening the African Union (AU) Executive
Council of Foreign Ministers,
AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Konare said he was addressing
the group for the last time
as Chair of the AU Commission. Konare noted that the next AU
Summit (late June in Ghana) member states will elect a new
commission, and on September 16 the current AU Commission
will hand over responsibility to that new Commission. He
reviewed the remaining conflicts
in Africa, successes of the AU and new directions. Konare
closed with the exhortation:
we are not giving up, the struggle for Africa is a struggle
for generations, calling on
the group to ensure the African Renaissance and pride in
being African. Other opening
speakers included: UN Economic Commission for Africa
Adboulie Janneh, who spoke
encouragingly of Africa,s sustained economic growth while
noting some challenges and
Congo,s Foreign Minister Rudolphe Adada, Chairperson of the
Executive Council.
Observers were asked to leave the AU plenary hall following
the 90 minutes of opening
remarks.


2. (U) Countries of Concern:
Reviewing several country situations, Konare spoke of his joy
at the release of Burundi,s former President Ndayizeye,
saying this action will strengthen Burundi,s young
democracy. Konare said the status and condition of former
leaders should engage African,s attention,
as indicators of democratic protection and restraint. He
said Africa must end waste and
lost opportunity, thus was compelled to note what has been
happening in Guinea where he
hopes the just-initiated dialogue will resolve the crisis.
He said that the DR Congo
needs support now after its recent successful elections.


3. (U) Darfur:
Konare mentioned Darfur and the spillover of that crisis to
Chad and the Central African Republic, but the hopeful sign
of the AU-UN-Sudan agreement on UN assistance to AMIS. Konare
spoke bluntly of Darfur, saying this so called silent war is
not silent, that all were witnessing it, how can the AU
members be content to just issue communiques when the
situation in Darfur is in contradiction to all the AU rules?


4. (U) Somalia:
Konare noted that for years the AU has been calling attention
to Somalia, and now the
situation requires that the AU mobilize and deploy the needed
8,000 troops for its mission
as soon as possible, since Ethiopia has begun withdrawing
troops as it said it would.
He said Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria were ready, Malawi has
shown some willingness and the
AU has approached other countries. While appealing for
material, funding and even airplanes, he noted the AU cannot
leave all this to donor partners, Africans themselves should
step up. Konare said that the deployment of troops is not a
solution for the Somali problem, it allows
a space for all inclusive political dialogue (expecting those
who advocate holy war, who press territorial claims from past
era or who,d seek to fight.)


5. (U) Issues to Move Forward:
Konare emphasized the need for popular input into the AU,
saluting NGO,s and Civil Society helping the AU become a
Union of the peoples. He also saluted the Press especially
those
who refused to remain silent on issues, and said that freedom
of expression is a non-negotiable and essential thing. He
said the African Charter on Democracy and Governance should
move forward, regretting the time it took to move from one
expert meeting to another. He hoped
that a distinctive African Diplomatic Passport would soon be
possible, and said the continent needs more progress on free
movement of goods and peoples. He criticized the phenomenon
of silent war (Darfur) and the mercenaries who take Africa,s
wealth and serve its conflicts,
and the besieging of Africa,s youth by drugs use.


6. (U) UNECA on Continued Economic Growth:
UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Director General
Janneh said increase in prices for Africa,s natural
resources and improved macroeconomic situations helped move
the overall growth rate form 5.2 percent in 2005 to 5.7

ADDIS ABAB 00000264 002 OF 002


percent in 2006, forecasting a 5.8 percent rate in 2007.
However, this was still not enough for Africa to meet its
2015 Millennium Development Goals,
he said. Janneh urged more work on peace and security,
inter-African trade, adequate infrastructure, empowering of
women and youth, and a fair use of Africa,s resources. He
noted that during the recent AU Trade Ministerial, he had
discussions with WTO head Pascal Lamy, since Africa had the
most to gain from a fair and balanced global trade system
which the stalled Doha round would provide. Touching on the
Summit theme of Science and Technology for Development,
Janneh said that many African states do not put enough of
their GDP into research and development or the educational
infrastructure needed to train scientist and technicians.
There is also a lack of technical-academia-national policy
interaction, and of public-private partnerships for
scientific and technological research.


7. (U) Congolese Foreign Minister Adada Remarks:
Republic of Congo Foreign Minister Adada highlighted his
country,s role in the Cote d'Ivoire mediation, and saluted
ECOWAS for naming Burkina-Faso President Compaore as a
facilitator to this. He expressed hope that the AU-UN Hybrid
Force would be a way to restrain the conflict and Darfur,
while emphasizing that diplomatic efforts are also necessary.
He said the Transitional Federal institutions of Somalia and
the Transitional Federal Government and
Somali people should be assisted through rapid deployment of
an AU force.

COURVILLE
YAMAMOTO