Appointment of the African Union High-level Panel in support of a peaceful and inclusive transition and the restoration of constitutional order in Egypt
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 8, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, today, announced the appointment of the AU High-Level Panel for Egypt. The Panel consist of Alpha Oumar Konaré, former President of the Republic of Mali and former Chairperson of the AU Commission, as the Chairperson of the Panel; Festus Gontebanye Mogae, former President of the Republic of Botswana; and Dileita Mohamed Dileita, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Djibouti. The Panel will be assisted by a group of experts.
The decision to establish the Panel is in follow up to the earlier statements of the Chairperson of the Commission, issued on 3 and 4 July 2013, in which she reiterated the AU's full support to the aspirations of the Egyptian people as expressed during the January-February 2011 Revolution and its commitment to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the current crisis, notably by dispatching a team of high-level African personalities. The initiative of the Chairperson was welcomed by the 384th meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), held in Addis Ababa on 5 July 2013, which requested that preparations for the dispatch of the delegation to Egypt be expedited and encouraged her to take any other measures that she would deem appropriate to facilitate the resolution of the crisis and the building of a consensus on the way forward among the Egyptian stakeholders.
The Panel is mandated to interact with the ruling authorities and other Egyptian stakeholders to establish a constructive political dialogue aimed at national reconciliation, as well as to contribute to their efforts as they work towards a transition that would lead to an early return to constitutional order, preserve the gains of the January-February 2011 Revolution and consolidate the democratic process in their country. The Panel will meet in Addis Ababa in the coming days, and intends to travel to Egypt thereafter for initial contacts with the authorities and other stakeholders.
Furthermore, the Commission is making arrangements for the early convening, at the AU headquarters, of the International Consultative Forum (ICF-Egypt) whose establishment was decided by the above-mentioned meeting of the PSC. The IFC will bring together Egypt and the relevant bilateral and multilateral partners, including the League of Arab States and the United Nations, to facilitate coordinated action in support of a transition leading to the restoration of constitutional order and the mobilization of economic and financial support commensurate with the needs of Egypt and the challenges facing it.
In the meantime, the Chairperson of the Commission reiterates her call to all Egyptian stakeholders to exercise utmost restraint, eschew violence and refrain from any other act likely to heighten tension and further complicate efforts aimed at ensuring an inclusive and consensual solution to the crisis.