0620052

We propose INTEGRAL observations of the sky region around the quasar PKS 0208-512. This region contains hundreds of X-ray sources which could be potential hard X-ray emitters. Among them CGRO highlighted the quasar PKS 0208-512 as a gamma-ray source and a possible MeV blazar. A re-analysis of the COMPTEL/CGRO data clearly reveals a persistent soft gamma-ray emission in itslowest energy band (0.75-1 MeV). The flux of this excess is well above the extrapolation of the EGRET spectrum suggesting a so-called MeV-blazar origin. An alternative possibility would be that this emission is not due to PKS 0208-512 instead is emitted from one or several neighboring sources which cannot be resolved by COMPTEL. The proposed INTEGRAL observation would shed light on this soft gamma-ray emission by resolving for the first time this sky region at hard X-rays. It could discriminate whether PKS 0208-512 is a MeV-blazar and so has an additional emission component or whether the emission is due to sources in the surroundings of PKS 0208-512 i.e. it will clarify the nature of this enigmatic soft gamma-ray emission. [truncated! Please see actual data for full text]