The African Union (AU) High-Level Panel met with representatives of the Anti-Coup Coalition (ACC) on Thursday evening, continuing its programme of high-level meetings in Egypt.
The delegation, led by former Malian President Alpha Oumar Konaré, was hosted by the ACC in Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square, the site of a pro-Mohamed Morsi sit-in that began approximately one month ago. The delegation met with Morsi last Wednesday and called for his inclusion in the political discussion.
Dawit Toga, a political analyst travelling with the delegation, said on Friday that the delegation’s role during its visit is to meet with all sides and “to listen to their ideas, and not to make recommendations.” Toga said the delegation did just this on Thursday evening in Rabaa Al-Adaweya square.
The Anti-Coup Coalition statement on the meeting reported that Konaré told the AU’s stance of its “rejection of the coup” has not changed. The African Union Peace and Security Council suspended Egypt’s membership following Morsi’s ouster at the beginning of July.
The ACC statement also said Konaré “described president Morsi as the ‘Nelson Mandela of Egypt,’” something that Toga denied.
“I can confirm that former president Konaré did not say this. A member of the brotherhood expressed good wishes to Nelson Mandela and made the comparison himself,” Toga said.
The delegation arrived in Egypt last Saturday and is expected to conclude its visit on Sunday. The panel is scheduled to present a report of its findings to AU Chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in the coming weeks.
