African Union and League of Arab States meet in New York

Hon. Bernard K. Membe (MP) (right) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and H.E. Ambasssador Tuvako Manongi (left), Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations walking towards the building where the Meeting of African Union and League of Arab States took place.  Others are Ambassador Celestine Mushy (behind - right), Director of the Department of Multilateral Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Togolani Mavura (behind - left), Private Assistant to the Minister.

Hon. Bernard K. Membe (MP) (left) discusses something with H.E. Prof. Dr. Joram M. Biswaro, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the Africa Union and United Nations Economic Comission for Africa (UNECA). 

Chairman of the League of Arab States (2nd left) gives his opening remarks during the Meeting of the African Union and League of Arab States held yesterday in New York, USA.  Also in the photo is Mr. Jean Ping (left), the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and former Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission.

Hon. Bernard K. Membe listens to the Chairman of the League of Arab States (not in the photo) giving his opening remarks.  Left is H.E. Prof. Dr. Joram M. Biswaro, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the Africa Union and United Nations Economic Comission for Africa (UNECA) and Mr. Noel Kaganda (behind -right), First Secretary in the Tanzania Mission to the United Nations.

  

Hon. Bernard K. Membe (MP), Tanzania Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation gives his remarks before the African Union and the League of Arab States meeting in New York. Left is H.E. Prof. Dr. Joram M. Biswaro, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the Africa Union and United Nations Economic Comission for Africa (UNECA).  Behind are Mr. Togolani Mavura (1st right), Private Assistant to the Minister and Mr. Noel Kaganda (2nd right), First Secretary in the Tanzania Mission to the United Nations.

Hon. Ali Ahmed Karti, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Sudan briefs the meeting on agreement between Sudan and South Sudan. 

African Union and League of Arab States

meet in New York

By TAGIE DAISY MWAKAWAGO, New York

September 27, 2012

“Somalia situation is of paramount importance, thus requires the full attention of the AU and the League of Arab States,” said Mr. Jean Ping, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and former Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, urging Members from both isles to prioritize this issue. 

Mr. Ping made these remarks yesterday in New York at a Joint Ministerial Consultative Meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) and the League of Arab States Peace and Security Council (LAS-PSC).

He further noted that despite the considerable weakening presence of Al Shaabab, its violence and terrorist schemes are very much alive as witnessed during the recent assassination attempt on the life of the new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, which claimed lives of several people.  

The Meeting was attended by various ministers from both the AU and LAS, including Tanzania, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Lesotho, Qatar, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Djibouti and Zimbabwe.  The chief goal of the meeting was to discuss the situation in Somalia, the Sudans, Mali and Palestine.

Speaking on the same token, Hon. Daniel Kablan Duncan, Côte d'Ivoire Foreign Affairs Minister, also attributed the collaborative efforts between AU and LAS.  He said that it was encouraging to see Sudan and South Sudan making meaningful progress by embarking on negotiations which seem fruitful.  “It is a positive progress resulted from the AU roadmap,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Hon. Bernard K. Membe (MP), Tanzania Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation hailed the successes registered in Somalia but cautioned on the fragility of country, particularly with regard to famine and maritime piracy. 

“AU and LAS need to address these issues given that Somalia has now transitioned itself into a self-governing democratic state,” he cautioned.

In highlighting the situation in the Sudans, Hon. Ali Ahmed Karti, Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the two states have agreed on various issues which had lagged settlement for months including trade, commerce and pension schemes. He informed however that, the issue of Abyei is still a matter of great contention. 

During the meeting, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States presented a brief of the situation in Palestine, saying that the peace process has become stagnant, resulting from lack of cooperation from Israel Government and lack of support from international community.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia gave a brief on the crisis in Mali, stating that AU needed to prepare a strategic plan on how to resolve unsettling war situation in that country.   However, he praised the presence of ECOWAS and UN’s peacekeeping efforts in that country.

The next meeting of AU Peace and Security Council is expected to be Chaired by Equatorial Guinea in the coming month of October 2012.

End.