PSC/PR/BR(CLXVI) Page 1 PRESS STATEMENT OF THE 166TH MEETING OF THE PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL (PSC) The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 166th meeting, held on 16 January 2009, was briefed by the Commission on the progress made in the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) within the framework of Article 13 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council. Council took note of the briefing and commended the Commission for the activities undertaken within Roadmap II, as formulated by the Consultative Meeting between the Commission and the RECs/RMs, held in Addis Ababa, on 30-31st July 2008. In this regard, Council welcomed the efforts deployed and the progress made towards the full operationalization of Regional Brigades, the implementation of the ASF Training Plan through the initialization Conference of AMANI Africa Exercise, held in Addis Ababa, on 21 November 2008, and the Rapid Deployment Capability, in pursuance of the outcomes of the 5th Meeting of African Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Security, followed by the 2nd Ordinary Meeting of the Ministers of Defence and Security held in Addis Ababa, from 24 to 28 March 2008. Council requested the Commission, in collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms and Member States, to undertake further work to implement the ASF policy documents adopted by the Ministers, as well as to develop and finalize the additional documents and to submit proposals on those areas to Ministers of Defence and Security, for their early action towards the implementation of the ASF by 2010. Council, once again, called on its Members, those which have not yet done so, to take the necessary steps in order to be represented at the appropriate level in the Military Staff Committee (MSC), as provided for in the PSC Protocol and as called for in the Conclusions of the Retreat of the PSC on its Working Methods held in Dakar, with the view to facilitate the work of the Commission on the operationalization of the ASF. Addis Ababa, 16 January 2009