Decision on the Activities of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and on the Status of Peace and Security in Africa Doc. assembly/AU/3 (VIII)

DECISION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PEACE AND SECURITY
COUNCIL OF THE AFRICAN UNION AND THE STATE
OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN AFRICA

DOC. ASSEMBLY/AU/3(VIII)

The Assembly:

1. TAKES NOTE of the report on the activities of the Peace and Security Council and on the status of peace and security in Africa;

2. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the progress made in the search for peace and stability in Africa. In this respect, the Assembly WELCOMES:

• The successful conclusion of the transition process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which ushered in a new political order;

• The signing of the cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army;

• The signing, on 14 October 2006, of a Peace Agreement between the Government of The Sudan and the Eastern Front’,

• The signing on 7 September 2006, of a Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Burundi and Palipehutu/FNL; and

• The pursuit of the transition process in Mauritania.

3. ENCOURAGES all the parties involved in these processes to persevere in their efforts and REQUESTS the Commission to continue providing them with the necessary support;

4. ALSO EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the progress made in the post­conflict reconstruction process in Liberia, Burundi and Sierra Leone and URGENTLY APPEALS to the Member States and the international community to render all the necessary assistance to the countries emerging from conflicts to enable them to consolidate peace and stability.

5. TAKES NOTE of the efforts deployed by the Commission to implement the Policy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development and ENCOURAGES it to intensify these efforts, including through the fielding of multi-disciplinary missions of experts to evaluate the situation on the ground and make recommendations on the assistance that could be provided by Member States and the Commission.

6. TAKES NOTE of the progress achieved in the implementation of the conclusions of the high level consultation on Darfur, held in Addis Ababa, on 15 November 2006, and endorsed by both the Peace and Security Council at its meeting held in Abuja, on 30 November 2006, and the United Nations Security Council, on 19 December 2006; and

WELCOMES the fact that The Sudan has approved both the conclusions of the high level consultation and the decision of the Peace and Security Council.

7. ENCOURAGES the Commission, the United Nations Secretariat and the Government of The Sudan to accelerate the process of implementation of the conclusions of the high level consultation based on the conclusions reached by the various meetings held between the Commission and the United Nations Secretariat, to enable the United Nations, as a matter of urgency, to take all the necessary measures for the funding of the peace support operation in Darfur through assessed contributions.

8. URGES the African Members of the Security Council to take the required initiatives for the early adoption, by the United Nations, of the necessary decisions on the funding of the peace support operation in Darfur through assessed contributions.

9. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the ongoing efforts by the African Union and the United Nations to broaden the support base of the Darfur Peace Agreement and facilitate its implementation and CALLS ON all parties to refrain from any hostility and to commit themselves to an effective ceasefire on the ground;

10. WELCOMES the recent developments in Somalia, particularly the return of the Transitional Federal Government to Mogadishu and STRESSES that there is a unique and unprecedented opportunity to be seized upon by the people of Somalia, their leaders and the entire international community, in order to re-establish government structures in Somalia and promoting lasting peace and reconciliation.

11. UNDERSCORES the need for the Transitional Federal Institutions to intensify their efforts for an all-inclusive and genuine dialogue and reconciliation within the framework of the Transitional Federal Charter and URGES Member States and the partners, including the European Union and the international community at large, to expeditiously provide the necessary assistance to facilitate the rapid deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM);

12. URGES the Ivorian parties, with the support of ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and the international community, to redouble efforts to bring the peace process to its logical conclusion on the basis of Resolution 1721, adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 1 November 2006, through direct dialogue as proposed by President Laurent Gbagbo and supported by ECOWAS and the African Union;

13. SUPPORTS ECOWAS efforts aimed at helping the Guinean parties to find a negotiated and peaceful solution to the crisis facing the country, and CALLS UPON the Commission to take all the necessary initiatives in this regard;

14. URGES the Government of The Sudan and the SPLM to do their utmost to ensure the scrupulous and speedy implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in order to achieve the ultimate objective that they have set for themselves;

15. EXPRESSES ITS GRAVE CONCERN at the tension in the relations between Chad and the Sudan and REQUESTS the Peace and Security Council to urgently consider this matter;

16. STRESSES the urgent need for the Comorian parties to take all the necessary steps to consolidate the reconciliation process in their country, particularly by overcoming the current difficulties on the constitutional powers that should devolve on each of the Comorian entities. The Assembly REQUESTS the Peace and Security Council to consider the possibility of deploying a mission that would contribute to the creation of a conducive security environment during the forthcoming elections in the Islands, scheduled to take place in March - April 2007, and undertake other related tasks;

17. CALLS UPON the Peace and Security Council to pursue its efforts, with special emphasis on conflict prevention, by examining potential conflict situations before they degenerate into conflicts;

18. ENCOURAGES the Commission to pursue its efforts towards the Structural prevention of conflicts, including through the speedy implementation of the African Union border programme;

19. WELCOMES the progress made in the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture, including the Continental Early Warning System, the African Standby Force and the Panel of the Wise and ENCOURAGES the Peace and Security Council to ensure the successful completion of this process ;

20. RECALLS that the maintenance of international peace and security is the primary responsibility of the United Nations Security Council and CALLS UPON the United Nations to examine, within the context of Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, the possibility of funding, through assessed contributions, peace-keeping operations undertaken by African Union or under its authority and with the consent of the United Nations. REQUESTS Member States working together with the Commission, to undertake the necessary follow-up in this regard and FURTHER REQUESTS the Commission to submit a report thereon at the next Ordinary Session of the Executive Council scheduled in July 2007.