CLOSING STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
MIXED COMMISSION AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF
THE UNITED NATIONS, GENERAL LAMINE CISSE
*
Yaoundé,
14 March 2008
Your Excellency, Minister Delegate at the
Ministry of Justice, Head of the Cameroonian Delegation,
Your Excellency, Prince Bola Ajibola, Head of
the Nigerian Delegation,
Your Excellencies, Senior State Officials,
Your Excellencies, Members of Government,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Your Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic
Corps and Representatives of International Organizations,
Members of the Mixed Commission,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have now come to the end of our
deliberations, which, you will agree with me, were conducted in an
atmosphere of brotherliness and a spirit of openness. Success was possible
thanks to the patience and high sense of duty of the two Heads of the
Cameroonian and Nigerian delegations and their associates. I would like to
pay glowing tribute to them on behalf of the Secretary General of the United
Nations and on my own behalf.
I would like, following the example of these
two personalities, to reaffirm my confidence, or should I say, my faith, in
the process adopted for the implementation of the 10 October 2002 ruling by
the International Court of Justice. The results attest to this.
During its last land boundary assessment
work, the Joint Technical Team successfully demarcated 135 kilometres of
frontier land without the least disagreement. The commitments made at this
session will, in May 2008, enable us to cross the symbolic finish line of a
thousand kilometres of effectively demarcated land. I am pleased to also
recall that, since last week, Cameroon and Nigeria have a geodetic datum
network covering the entire distance of the land boundary and that the firm
which established that network handed over to the survey teams of Cameroon
and Nigeria the measuring equipment and instruments which they used to put
it in place.
But it is evident that, to date, it is in the
area of the maritime boundary that lies the jewel in the crown of the Mixed
Commission. I believe I can say that the results are highly consistent with
what each one had in mind. In fact, during this session, we finally reached
agreement on a common maritime chart, with transposition of the computations
of the loxodromic line extending beyond Point X seawards. This agreement
paves the way for cross border cooperation which could take whatever form
the governments deemed most suitable for the greatest benefit of the
populations of both countries.
On a more personal note, I would like to
officially inform you that this will be the last meeting of the Cameroon -
Nigeria Mixed Commission I will be honoured to preside in my capacity as
Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations
Organization in West Africa. I would like, on this solemn occasion, to
express my deep gratitude to Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the
United Nations, for the confidence he kindly placed on me since he took the
helm at the Organization.
As I take leave of you, I am moved by a very
strong feeling; that of having shared so much with you during my term of
office. During this span of time, I was able to gauge the commitment and
determination of your two countries to peacefully implement the ruling by
the International Court of Justice on the demarcation of your common
boundary. I was also able to assess the extent to which you shared that
commitment and determination, which can be observed from the highest levels
of your States to the grassroots, right to the field, where teams of
cartographers and surveyors work under extreme conditions, but with the same
degree of enthusiasm and friendliness.
Thus, confident that the process has
inexorably taken off, I am pleased to hand the flag over to a person who has
earned the confidence of the Secretary General of the United Nations, and
who, with you, will continue on this exalting voyage, at the end of which,
having completed the demarcation, Cameroonians and Nigerians will continue
to celebrate their common bond for eternity. I would like to say “thank
you”, from the bottom of my heart, for the attention you lavished on me. I
very sincerely thank you for the invaluable support you gave me and which, I
am certain, you will not fail to give my successor, Mr. Saïd Djinnit.
Lastly, I urge you to convey to your highest
authorities, His Excellency Paul Biya and His Excellency Umar Yar’adua, the
expression of my highest consideration and my profound gratitude for their
constant support during my tenure; as, it important to say, the political
will shown by Presidents Paul Biya, Olusegun Obasanjo and Umar Yar’adua,
Heads of State of the two countries, provided the breeding ground and
leverage at all stages of the Mixed Commission’s work. History will record
that Africa, our Continent, emerged stronger and more glorious from this
textbook example, with well-deserved pride, in all respects.
It is on this note of celebration and hope
that I declare closed the XXI session of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed
Commission.
Thank you.
TWENTY-FIRST
MEETING
