PSC/PR/Comm(LXXII) Page 1 COMMUNIQUE OF THE 72ND MEETING OF THE PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 72nd meeting held on 13 March 2007, considered the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the 2nd Summit of the International Conference Process on the Great Lakes Region. Council, 1. Takes note of Report PSC/PR/2(LXXII) of the Chairperson of the Commission; 2. Welcomes the adoption of the “Pact on Peace, Security, and Development in the Great Lakes Region” by the Second Summit of the Conference process held in Nairobi, from 14 to 15 December 2006; 3. Welcomes, furthermore, the adoption by the said Summit of the “Declaration on the implementation of the Pact before its entry into force” and, in this respect, urges the Member States to speed up the work towards the ratification of the Pact by their competent organs. Council encourages the Executive Secretariat of the Conference in its efforts to implement the Declaration with the view to operationalizing the Pact as soon as it enters into force; 4. Pays tribute to the successive Special Envoys/Representatives of OAU/AU and of United Nations, in particular Mr. Ibrahima Fall, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to the Great Lakes Region, as well as Ambassador Mamadou Bah, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, for their sustained efforts towards the realization of the Conference process; 5. Commends the remarkable work of the AU/United Nations Joint Secretariat in support of the Member States during the preparatory phase of the Conference and the preparation and the organisation of the Summit in Nairobi. The Council expresses its appreciation to AU partners and to the countries of the region in the Conference process, in particular those countries and international organisations that are members of the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes Region, for the political, diplomatic, technical and financial support they brought to the Conference process, and which has contributed greatly to the success of the Summit. The Council urges them to support with the same generosity the implementation of the Pact and, in this respect, welcomes various intentions expressed in that regard during the Summit in Nairobi; 6. Takes note also of the United Nations Security Council decision to support the request of the Regional Inter-ministerial Committee (RIMC) to extend the mandate of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes Region for a final period of three months until 31st March 2007, and welcomes the new provisions envisaged by the United Nations to support the implementation of the Pact ;