Communiqué adopted at
the fifteenth meeting of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission
established
pursuant to the Joint Geneva communiqué of 15 November 2002
*
Yaounde, 6-7 September 2006
1. The
Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, which was established pursuant to the
Joint Communiqué adopted at the meeting held on 15 November 2002 in Geneva
between His Excellency President Paul Biya of Cameroon and His Excellency
President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, in the presence of the Secretary
General of the United Nations, held its Fifteenth Ordinary Meeting in
Yaoundé on 6 and 7 September 2006. Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special
Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations chaired the
deliberations of the Mixed Commission in the presence of the Vice Prime
Minister Amadou Ali of Cameroon and Prince Bola Ajibola (CFR) of Nigeria,
leader of their respective Delegations.
2. The
Mixed Commission considered and adopted the report of the 4th meeting of the
Working Group on the Maritime Boundary. Regarding the delineation of the
Maritime Boundary, it adopted the report and the map presented by the
independent expert of the United Nations during its 14th meeting. The Mixed
Commission further agreed to establish a joint team to carry out a field
visit. The Terms of Reference of this mission will be proposed by the expert
of the United Nations and submitted to the Working Group on the Maritime
Boundary which will meet from 8 to 9 October 2006 in Yaounde.
3. The
Mixed Commission adopted the report of the 13th Meeting of the
Sub-Commission on Demarcation. Regarding the delineation of the boundary in
the Mada-Sahle-Zigague sector, it directed the Joint Technical Team to
return to the field to conduct further investigations in order to fix the
boundary line in this area in accordance with the International Court of
Justice ruling of 10 October 2002. This visit will take place before the end
of October 2006.
4. The
Mixed Commission is satisfied with the conduct of the process of withdrawal
of Nigerian troops from the Bakassi Peninsula, the official ceremony of
which was conducted peacefully on 14 August 2006. In connection with the
affected population of Bakassi, the Mixed Commission agreed to take further
initiatives in order to prevent any incident, notably the deployment of an
observer mission at the earliest opportunity.
5. The
Mixed Commission supported and encouraged the efforts of implementing
confidence building measures and strengthening regional cooperation. To that
extent, it welcomed the recent initiatives by the Lake Chad Basin Commission
regarding the recharging of Lake Chad. It also hailed the recent decision of
member countries of the Gulf of Guinea Commission to establish institutions
necessary for such cooperation. The Mixed Commission expresses its gratitude
for the support provided by some members of the international community and
development partners to the affected population in the two countries. To
that end, it urges the speedy implementation of the
Enugu-Abakaliki-Mamfe-Mutengene Road project between Cameroon and Nigeria as
well as other projects under preparation in the areas concerned. Finally,
the Mixed Commission expresses the wish that the Cameroon-Nigeria Joint
Commission resume its meetings as soon as possible.
6. The
XVIth meeting of the Mixed Commission shall take place in Abuja on 6 and 7
November
2006 with a possible extension to 8
November 2006.
