Communiqué adopted at
the eighth meeting of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission
established
pursuant to the Joint Geneva communiqué of 15 November 2002
*
10-11
February 2004
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 their Excellencies Presidents Paul Biya of Cameroon and
Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, in the presence of the Secretary-General of
the United Nations, held its eighth meeting in Abuja on 10 and 11 February
2004. As it happened in
the past seven meetings, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative
of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, chaired the deliberations
of the Commission while Senior Minister Amadou Ali of Cameroon and Prince
Bola Ajibola (CFR) of Nigeria headed their respective delegations. The
meeting was open, constructive and cordial.
2.
The participants welcomed the convening of the Tripartite Summit between
President Paul Biya of Cameroon, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria,
and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 31 January 2004 in
Geneva. The Mixed Commission
expressed satisfaction with the outcome of this summit and the renewed
commitment by the two leaders to pursue the peaceful settlement of their
boundary dispute.
3.
At the opening ceremony of the meeting, H.E. Olu Adeniji, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria delivered a keynote address in which he stated that the search for
global and regional peace was a major thrust of Nigeria’s foreign
policy, because no nation could develop in an atmosphere of discord and
insecurity. That is why Nigeria had opted for negotiation with Cameroon on
their boundary dispute. He urged the Commission to give the implementation
of the International Court of Justice’s judgment a human face, with
particular regard to the concerns and well-being of border communities.
4.
With regard to the Lake Chad area, the Mixed Commission adopted the
report submitted by the Chairman of the Working Group on withdrawal and
transfer of authority in the Lake Chad Area. This report summarized the
work of the Working Group in November and December 2003. The Mixed
Commission also adopted the report of the Working Group on its follow-up
visit (January 19-20, 2004) one month after the withdrawal and transfer of
authority in the Lake Chad area. Finally, the Mixed Commission decided to
establish its Observer Personnel Group in the Lake Chad area for a period
of one year, composed of five members each from Nigeria and Cameroon, as
well as five representatives from the United Nations.
5.
The Mixed Commission decided that the Sub-Commission on Affected
Population should undertake an additional visit to the Land Boundary area,
which will be followed immediately by a field visit to the Bakassi
Peninsula. This visit will take place between 16 February and 1 March
2004. The Mixed Commission decided that the members of the Sub-Commission
on Demarcation should be included in this field visit.
It also decided that the Mixed Commission would carry out field
visits to the Land Boundary area and the Bakassi Peninsula in March 2004.
6.
The Mixed Commission reviewed the issue of a draft Protocol for the
protection of the rights of the affected populations, submitted by
Nigeria. In response to the draft Protocol, Cameroon submitted a
comprehensive study on all matters which address the issues raised in that
document. This document will
be discussed at the Ninth meeting of the Mixed Commission.
7.
The Mixed Commission considered the issue of the maritime boundary,
including a proposal to set up a Sub-Commission on this matter. It decided
to establish a Working Group, to be composed of five experts each from
Nigeria and Cameroon, along with United Nations experts, in order to make
a preliminary study and submit recommendations.
In particular, this Group will propose a delineation of the
maritime boundary as delimited by the Court in its decision, and produce a
map on that basis. The Group
will also discuss in a preliminary manner issues related to oil fields
that straddle the boundary.
8.
The Mixed Commission approved the report of the Sub-Commission on
Demarcation and endorsed the decision of the Parties to make an additional
contribution of 1.75 Million U.S. Dollars each immediately, bringing the
balance of the Trust Fund to a total of 6 Million U.S. Dollars. The Mixed
Commission expressed its concern at the growing delay of the demarcation
process and requested the Secretariat to follow up on the initiation of
the contracts very speedily. It
also agreed to further consider the issue of funding at the Ninth meeting
in Yaoundé.
9.
The Chairman of the Mixed Commission briefed the Commission on the
proposed tripartite visit to potential donor states, agreed to at the
Seventh meeting. The proposed
visit will take place during the first half of March 2004 and will most
likely include Brussels, London, Paris, New York, and Washington DC.
10.
Nigeria proposed to revise the Working Calendar of the Mixed
Commission, and will submit a comprehensive document on this ahead of the
Ninth meeting.
11.
The Ninth meeting of the Mixed Commission will be held in Yaoundé
from 6 to 7 April 2004, with a possible extension to 8 April 2004.
