[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17125-17126]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             AFRICAN UNION

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, the African Union is essential to the 
political and economic development of Africa's diverse community of 
States. It has become clear that the AU represents a real commitment by 
its members to establishing a forum for political dialogue and to 
address the challenges and seize opportunities that are arising 
throughout the continent.
  The AU plays three very specific roles that I will highlight as we 
consider the nomination of the United States' first ambassador and as 
we renew our efforts to strengthen our relationship with the AU.
  The AU is primed to serve as the primary forum for establishing peace 
and preventing conflict throughout the continent. I applaud the efforts 
of the leaders of the AU to establish a true capacity to prevent and 
end conflict that has devastated many parts of the continent for too 
long. The creation of the Peace and Security Council, PSC, within the 
AU is particularly valuable, and I hope this organ within the AU 
develops sufficient capacity to deal with the full range of conflict 
throughout the continent. It is essential that the PSC complete its 
work in developing a series of early warning systems and indicators so 
that it can be effective in preventing conflict. It also must develop a 
real capacity to respond to conflict should one occur. The Panel of the 
Wise, too, is an important source of moral authority and opportunity 
for prominent African leaders to engage in country-specific conflicts 
without sacrificing neutrality or threatening the sovereignty of a 
nation.
  As we have learned from recent years in places such as Sudan and 
Somalia, it is critical that there be a way to identify, understand, 
and respond to the conditions that breed instability. The United States 
should support this conflict prevention and resolution capacity and 
work closely with the AU to identify weaknesses or shortfalls that 
exist in maximizing the AU's ability to fulfill these important 
functions.
  The United States must also support the AU's efforts to establish an 
African Standby Force that can participate in peace operations, 
intervention, and conflict monitoring. The AU and its members have 
proven a willingness and commitment to contributing military forces to 
AU-flagged missions throughout the continent. AU forces are operational 
in Darfur and in Burundi and have proven that they are willing to take 
on challenging assignments in nonpermissive environments. 
Unfortunately, the AU still does not have the capacity to fully 
implement the vision

[[Page 17126]]

for the African Standby Force, nor to effectively complete its mission 
in Darfur. The United States should assist the AU in developing a 
professional, deployment-ready standby force that can respond to 
conflict and that can participate in interventions to establish peace 
in areas already facing conflict. We must continue our efforts to help 
African militaries develop their capacity, while also urging the 
importance of the respect for human rights, civilian leadership, and 
fighting corruption.
  Finally, the AU is playing an increasingly important role in 
defeating terrorist networks throughout the African continent. As 
terrorist networks exploit undergoverned or unstable areas throughout 
Africa, the AU can play an important role in helping member States 
develop internal capacity to defeat the conditions that allow 
terrorists to take root. The AU also can strengthen member-State 
networks to share information, best practices, and even capacity as it 
relates to understanding, and ultimately defeating, terrorist networks. 
The African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism, ACSRT, a 
joint AU Commission/PSC structure, was launched in 2004 but lacks 
sufficient capacity to carry out its broad mission. It is a good first 
step, but it will need assistance from the United States, the European 
Union, and other members of the international community. Establishing 
this capacity must also be a priority for the AU's member states.
  There are a range of other challenges facing the AU, and there is no 
doubt a long list of priorities to be addressed. And while the United 
States has and will continue to support a range of AU efforts, it is 
essential that the U.S. Government structure its assistance to the AU 
to help empower it as an organization, support its priorities, and help 
to develop an internal capacity to plan for its growth and role in the 
coming years. I hope that the fact that we are sending our first 
ambassador to the AU will represent a heightened level of engagement 
with the AU and a renewed commitment to helping the AU, its member 
states, and the people of the African continent address the challenges 
of the 21st century.

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