United Nations Radio

Following its decision to strengthen cooperation with the African Union (AU), the UN Security Council held a meeting with the AU Peace and Security Council.

The agenda included ways to enhance interaction between the two institutions, as well as the four major crises in Africa. Ethiopia's representative to the African Union, Saherwork Zewde, said the African countries had an opportunity to share their views.

"We have made our presentations of the main conflicts of today in Somalia, Sudan, DRC and Cote d'Ivoire. We feel that we are closer to the issue, we are more familiar and that we have brought some elements for the Security Council to consider. But obviously there is a great need for the UN to be more involved as far as these conflicts and particularly the Somalia is concerned."

Britain's ambassador to the UN John Sawers noted that the meeting did not produce any decisions, nor did it intend to, but the discussion itself was an important first step towards greater cooperation.

"We have begun some important work of coordinating between the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council. There is an awful lot of work still to be done, but the fact of this interaction, I think, is important in itself. Many of the Security Council agenda items relate to Africa and I think we had a very valuable discussion today."

The Security Council asked the UN Secretary-General to convene a panel of experts who would come up with specific ways for the UN to support the African Union.

For UN Radio, I am Elena Vapnitchnaia.

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