PSC/PR/COMM. (DCXVII) Page 1 COMMUNIQUE The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 617th meeting, held on 12 August 2016, was briefed by the AU Legal Counsel on the accession process of a State to the AU and adopted the following decision: Council, 1. Takes note of the legal briefing provided by the AU Legal Counsel on the legal process of accession of a state to the AU; 2. Recalls the principles and objectives stipulated in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, adopted by the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, in Lome, Togo, in 2000. Council also recalls its mandate within the context of the provisions of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union 3. Underscores the importance of any African state that intending to accede to the AU Constitutive Act and to be admitted as a Member of the Union to fulfil all the requirements stipulated in the Constitutive Act, in particular, Article 27 and Article 29 (1) and (2), as well as the overarching provisions of Article 9 (c). Furthermore, Council stresses the need for such State to commit itself fully to upholding and respecting the principles of the Union as outlined in Article 4 of the Constitutive Act; 4. Calls upon all Member States to comply with the provisions of the AU Constitutive Act as the only legal framework that should guide the accession of any state to the AU; 5. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.