OPENING
STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MIXED COMMISSION AND SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE
UNITED NATIONS, GENERAL LAMINE CISSE
*
Abuja,
15 November 2007
Prince Bola Ajibola (CFR), Head of the
Nigerian Delegation,
Your Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister Amadou
Ali, Head of the Cameroonian Delegation,
Your Excellencies,
Members of the Diplomatic Community,
Honourable Members of the Cameroon-Nigerian
Mixed Commission,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The XXth session of the Cameroon-Nigerian
Mixed Commission is the first of its kind that I am attending in my capacity
as the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General.
Please permit me to deliver my first address on this occasion: as it were,
my address draws its relevance from the depths of wisdom and African
culture. I do hope that these words of mine will herald Peace, Friendship
and profound respect for this august Assembly. I wish to, in particular and
from the depth of my heart, address these words to His Excellency Mr Amadou
Ali, Deputy Prime Minister of Cameroon, Head of the Cameroonian Delegation
and Prince Bola Ajibola (CFR), Head of the Nigerian Delegation. I hereby
extend to you all the distinguished greetings of the United Nations
Secretary General and the expression of his renewed confidence in the
political will and the Nigerian and Cameroonian leaders’ determination to
fully pursue the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s
Judgement of 10 October 2002 and the Greentree Agreement of 12 June 2006 in
a spirit of friendship, tolerance, and sincere cooperation.
Moreover, permit me, Ladies and Gentlemen,
to express my profound gratitude and that of my delegation to the Government
and people of Nigeria for their generous hospitality. The warm reception
that we received on arrival and the excellent working conditions put at our
disposal at this XXth session of the Mixed Commission will undoubtedly
provide the required serenity to the participants for fruitful
deliberations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The achievements so far with respect to
implementing the International Court of Justice Judgement and the Greentree
Agreement, the journey so far with the support of the United Nations and all
our friends in the international community, give me the full measure of the
delicate nature, the sense of exalted duty and equity as well as the
sustained patience that characterised the History of our deliberations. It
is, therefore, with an equally high sense of humility that I accept the
honour bestowed on me to receive the baton from the hands of my brother and
friend, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. I must say that this baton was given to him
by Cameroonians and Nigerians with imbued confidence and friendship so that
he could shed light on our paths in unity for what will certainly be a
source of inspiration to future generations, and which will be chronicled in
History books as a model of peaceful conflict resolution.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At this juncture, I would like to pay a
deserving tribute and albeit a special tribute to someone who was my
classmate, to someone with whom I share a relationship deriving its strength
and sustainability from childhood memories, a period when solid friendships
are born and nurtured. I am speaking of Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah who has always
championed noble causes wherever Duty beckoned him. Today, his leadership
is being saluted and the numerous challenges that he took up through his
various contributions were couched in wisdom through your kind cooperation
and the United Nations Secretary General’s support. All this is a testimony
of the great intellectual, human and moral qualities he is endowed with.
Today, he is leaving us a long and rich legacy in conflict resolution and
his determination. As a token of our gratitude, let us pay him a glowing
tribute while whishing him full success in his new responsibilities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the last session of the Mixed
Commission held in Yaoundé from 5 to 6 July 2007, you will recall this
positive observation of the Mixed Commission Chairman who said and I quote:
« Though we have completed the implementation of the International Court of
Justice Judgement, nevertheless we still have important technical tasks to
undertake. In this vein, our Commission will dedicate its efforts in the
months to come to these issues with the same level of determination and
perseverance as in the past ». Once again, it is fit and proper for us to
salute this achievement because it ought to be a source of pride and
inspiration for us on the remaining part of our journey together and which
will ultimately, I hope, take us to the next stage: the completion of the
land boundary demarcation. We hope that the Joint Technical Team will
continue to enjoy adequate support and resources so that it could complete
the evaluation work on the boundary that was recently re-assessed to 1950km
by the end of December 2008 and to pave the way for implementing the other
demarcation contracts that are yet to commence. The field assessment
activities will resume for four weeks immediately after this session and
cover approximately 200 km.
Concerning the maritime boundary, following
the agreement between the parties on 23 and 24 August 2007 focusing on the
computation of the loxodromic line azimuth, which makes up the maritime
boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria, the Mixed Commission will continue to
support, more than ever before, efforts aimed at reaching bilateral accords
with respect to straddling oil and gas fields and along the boundary. The
Mixed Commission will also support any initiative for setting up a tri-point
area comprising Cameroon, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
I would like on your behalf to seize this
opportunity to congratulate experts from both countries as well as United
Nations experts for the excellent work done. I also would like to thank the
various working groups, sub-commissions, and the team of United Nations
Observers that make up the bedrock of the Mixed Commission. They all deserve
the hope and confidence reposed in them for their perseverance in the
process of demarcating land and maritime boundaries, strengthening
confidence-building measures and transborder cooperation. In addition, I
salute the regular presence of United Nations Observers in the regions
closer to the communities and their deployment on both sides of the border
between Cameroon and Nigeria.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Mixed Commission is committed to pursuing
efforts aimed at strengthening confidence-building measures and transborder
cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria. The regular presence of United
Nations Observers in the regions closer to the communities and their
deployment on both sides of the border between the two countries is a
testimony to the United Nations’ commitment with respect to the desire of
Nigeria and Cameroon to move forward and comply with the set out agenda by
mutual agreement under the auspices of the United Nations. I am pleased to
note the opening of an out-station in Calabar since last August for the
regular and appropriate monitoring of commitments under the Greentree
Agreement signed on 12 June 2006.
It is noteworthy, Ladies and Gentlemen, that
this year again significant progress was made not only at technical and
political levels but also at the diplomatic level in view of the progressive
involvement of sub regional institutions such as the Lake Chad Basin
Commission, regional and international organisations, namely ADB, UNITAR and
the European Union in terms of transborder cooperation and funds
mobilisation. This involvement of regional and international institutions
that are supporting our collective action, will not only ensure the success
but the peaceful, coherent and lasting transfer of this process as well as
its duties towards the affected communities and the entities where they live
due to the ad-hoc nature of the Mixed Commission,.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Though the reasons to be proud of the work
done so far are many, but the events that have just occurred in Bakassi
leading to the death of many Cameroonian soldiers fill our hearts with
sadness. I would like at this juncture to present my deepest sympathy to
the Cameroonian delegation and my heart-felt compassion to the bereaved
families. Your Excellency, the Deputy Prime Minister, I urge you to extend
the sincere sympathy of the Mixed Commission to His Excellency, President
Paul Biya, the authorities and people of Cameroon. We all hope that adequate
light will be shed on this deplorable event.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I want to join you in hoping that our
collective commitment in ensuring the peaceful implementation of the
International Court of Justice Judgement will be further strengthened so as
to firm up our steps in the remaining next stages. I would also want to
believe that we shall continue to have the political will of leaders in both
brother countries: Nigeria and Cameroon. It is on this note, full of hope
and confidence, that I hereby declare open the Twentieth session of the
Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission.
I thank you.
