African Union appoints panel on Egypt

The Chairwoman of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Monday announced the appointment of the AU High-Level Panel on Egypt.

The panel includes Alpha Oumar Konaré, former president of the Republic of Mali and former chairman of the AU Commission, as the head 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, a statement by the commission said.

The panel aims at following up the earlier statements of the Chairwoman of the Commission, issued on July 3 and 4 in which she reiterated the AU’s full support for the aspirations of the Egyptian people. It also comes within the commitment of the commission to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the current crisis, notably by dispatching a team of high-level African personalities.

The initiative was welcomed by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting which was held in Addis Ababa on Friday, which requested the preparations for the dispatch of the delegation to Egypt and taking any other measures to facilitate the resolution of the crisis and building of a consensus among 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.