11 Jul 2013

The former president, Mr Festus Mogae has been appointed a member of the African Union High-Level Panel for Egypt.

A press release from the Office of the President says the appointment was announced recently by the Chairperson of the Commission of AU, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Other members include Mr Alpha Oumar Konaré, former President of Mali and former Chairperson of AU Commission, as well as the chairperson of the Panela and Dileita Mohamed Dileita, former Prime Minister of Djibouti and will also be assisted by a group of experts.

The release states that Mr Mogae will leave for Juba, South Sudan, tomorrow at the invitation of the minister of Parliamentary Affairs to give a keynote address at the Speakers’ Forum on July 15.

Thereafter, it says Mr Mogae will proceed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to assume his appointment.

The decision to establish the Panel is a follow-up to the earlier statements of the chairperson of the commission issued on July 3 and 4, in which she reiterated the AU’s full support to the aspirations of the Egyptian people as expressed during the January to 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 that was held in Addis Ababa on July 5, 2013, which requested that preparations for the dispatch of the delegation to Egypt be expedited.

The release states that the meeting also encouraged the chairperson to take any other measures that she would deem appropriate to facilitate the resolution of the crisis and 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.

In addition, the Panel is expected to preserve the gains of January to February 2011 Revolution and consolidate democratic process in the country. It says the Panel will travel to Egypt for initial contacts with the authorities and other stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the commission is making arrangements for the early convening at the AU headquarters of the International Consultative Forum (ICF-Egypt).

The ICF will bring together Egypt and 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 restoration of constitutional order and mobilisation of economic and financial support commensurate with the needs of Egypt and challenges facing it.

In the meantime, the release says the chairperson of the commission has called on 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. ENDS