U.S. Secretary of State ditches meeting with African Union chief

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently invited African Union (AU) chief Moussa Faki to Washington for a meeting but backed out at the last minute, according to local media reports.

AU Commission Chairperson Faki received an invitation from Tillerson to Washington on the week of April 17 after his meetings at the United Nations, according to Foreign Policy that quoted sources familiar with the arrangement.

While Faki had scheduled his trip to Washington on April 19 and 20 and was waiting for further details of the meeting from the U.S. State Department, Tillerson's office "went radio silent for several days", Foreign Policy reported.

When U.S. State Department later contacted Faki's aides as the AU chief was about to leave for Washington, a new offer of meeting with lower-level State Department officials was made, said the report.

However, Faki cancelled his Washington trip entirely.

"African Union officials were incensed," Foreign Policy quoted Reuben Brigety, former U.S. ambassador to the African Union, as saying.

"This is ridiculous, particularly at a time when Africans are increasingly becoming more and more aware of their choices in partners around the world," Brigety reportedly said.

Citing a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Foreign Policy reported that the meeting was requested by Faki's team and the State Department "never guaranteed one would happen."

However, the U.S. official acknowledged that there was a "miscommunication in the Secretary's availability." Endit