Communiqué of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 416th meeting on the situation in Egypt Ref:PSC/AHG/COMM.3(CDXVI)

AFRICAN UNION

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 5513 822 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321

Email: situationroom@africa-union.org

PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 416™ MEETING AT THE LEVEL OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA 29 JANUARY 2014

PSC/AHG/C0MM.3(CDXVI)

COMMUNIQUE

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 416^th meeting held on 29 January 2014, adopted the following decision on the situation in Egypt:

Council,

1. Takes note of the report of the AU High-Level Panel for Egypt [PSC/AHG/4(CDXVI)], as well as of the statement made by the representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt;

2. Recalls its earlier communiques and press statements on the situation in Egypt, namely communique PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCLXXXIV) adopted at its 384^th meeting held on 5 July 2013, press statement PSC/MIN/BR.2(CCCLXXXVII) adopted at its 387^th meeting held at the ministerial level on 29 July 2013, press statement PSC/PR/BR.(CCCXC) adopted at its 390^th meeting held on 16 August 2013, and press statement PSC/PR/BR.(CCCXCCCV) adopted at its 395^th meeting held on 13 September 2013;

3. Reiterates Africa's solidarity with the people of Egypt, whose aspirations to democracy, the rule of law and well-being are fully consistent with the relevant AU instruments. Council further reiterates AU's commitment, in line with its duty and responsibility towards all its Member States, to assist Egypt in overcoming the challenges confronting it in the spirit of Pan­Africanism and the search for African solutions to African problems;

4. Commends the Chairperson of the Commission for the steps taken to follow up on its communique PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCLXXXIV), notably the swift establishment of the High-Level Panel for Egypt. Council also commends the Panel and its members, namely former President Alpha Oumar Konare, former President Festus Mogae and former Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita, for their commitment and efforts in the discharge of their mandate;

5. Notes the interactions that the Panel had with the Egyptian interim authorities and other stakeholders, as well as with relevant international actors, as reflected in the Panel's report;

6. Further notes the steps taken by the interim authorities in the implementation of the Roadmap for the transition that they outlined on 3 July 2013, notably the adoption of a new Constitution, through a referendum held on 14 and 15 January 2014, and the decision to hold presidential elections, to be followed by legislative elections, within a period of 60 days, as well as the other developments that took place in the country over the past few months;

7. Urges the interim authorities to ensure the broadest possible participation in the forthcoming elections and their holding in the required conditions of freedom, fairness and transparency, in line with the relevant AU instruments, notably the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. In this respect, Council requests the Commission to engage the interim Egyptian authorities on how best the AU can monitor and observe the electoral process on the basis of the applicable AU instruments, including the dispatching of long and short term observer missions;

8. Looks forward to the early completion of the process to restore constitutional order in Egypt and expresses its readiness, in line with the relevant AU instruments, to take the required decisions in this respect, on the basis of a report to be submitted to Council by the High-Level Panel;

9. Reiterates AU's conviction on the need for reconciliation among all Egyptian stakeholders to address, in a sustainable manner, the multidimensional challenges facing their country and their underlying causes. In this respect, Council reiterates its appeal to all Egyptian stakeholders to reject violence, as well as its strong condemnation of all acts of terrorism, which cannot be justified under any circumstances. Council also stresses the imperative of respect for human rights and the rule of law, in line with the relevant AU instruments;

10. Expresses its full support to the High-Level Panel for Egypt and requests it to actively pursue the implementation of its mandate, thanks the Egyptian interim authorities for facilitating the two visits undertaken to date by the Panel to Egypt and for the full cooperation they extended on the ground, and looks forward to the continuation of this cooperation to enable the Panel to undertake, as it deems necessary, further assessment and consultation missions to Egypt to monitor progress towards the restoration of constitutional order and to report accordingly to Council;

11. Requests the High-Level Panel to prepare and submit to it, in due course, a final report on the implementation of its mandate, including a comprehensive assessment of the situation, the efforts undertaken by the AU and the challenges encountered, as well as recommendations on how best the AU can enhance the effectiveness of its response to similar situations in the future;

12. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.