VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #7206 3550702
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210702Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3011
INFO RUCNUNP/UN PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS CAIRO 007206 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/FO, NEA/RA, NEA/ELA 
NSC FOR WATERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC UNGA ECON EFIN EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT PROPOSES STRENGTHENED TIES BETWEEN UN 
SECURITY COUNCIL AND AFRICAN UNION 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) MFA Assistant Minister for African Affairs, 
Ambassador Massoum Marzouk, convoked the Charge on December 
19 to describe Egypt's proposal to strengthen institutional 
linkages between the African Union's Peace and Security 
Council (PSC) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 
 The Egyptians, he said, recently distributed a concept paper 
to UN Security Council members in New York, and are awaiting 
feedback.  Other members of the AU PSC and UN Secretary 
General Annan endorsed the proposal during a November 16 PSC 
meeting in Addis Ababa.  Egypt, which joined the PSC last 
March, is pursuing the initiative while it serves as PSC 
President for the month of December. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Marzouk emphasized that the proposal would in no 
way seek to displace or undermine the role and responsibility 
of the UN Security Council for conflict resolution.  But, 
existing mechanisms for collaboration and coordination, he 
said, could be strengthened without any additional 
bureaucracy.  In accordance with Rule 37 of the UNSC's 
provisional rules of procedure, he said, the AU PSC President 
could be included in formal and informal UNSC sessions 
(without voting rights) when African issues are under 
discussion.  Similarly, the UNSC President could be invited 
to attend AU PSC meetings (without voting rights) when issues 
of mutual concern were debated.  Marzouk stressed no 
expenditures would be involved.  The AU PSC representative in 
New York would atend UNSC meetings; the UNSC Chair's 
representative in Addis would attend PSC meetings.  Similar 
coordination is envisioned between the UN Secretariat and the 
AU Commission, as well as between the PSC and the UN Peace 
Building Commission.  With "60 percent of all UN peace 
keeping operations in Africa," he said, it makes sense to 
improve coordination between the UN and AU PSC (established 
in 2004). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Comment:  Better communication and coordination 
between the UN Security Council and the African Union's Peace 
and Security Council is a worthwhile endeavor, especially in 
the wake of the Darfur conflict.  Egypt's effort to validate 
the Chapter VIII (UN Charter) approach to African conflict 
resolution may be somewhat motivated by a desire to benefit 
financially from UNSC subcontracting to the AU PSC.  Egypt 
has asked us for financial assistance for its plan to build a 
peace-keeping training institute for African troops.  It is 
currently a member of the UN Peace Building Commission, and 
plays strongly within the AU.  We expect the MFA to raise 
this subject during our bilateral Africa talks, should we 
agree to February dates in Cairo.  A copy of the 4-page 
Egyptian paper has been e-mailed to NEA/ELA. 
JONES