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FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1246
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INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
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RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEPGBA/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

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