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At the invitation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon and President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria met today at the Greentree estate in Manhasset, New York.
The summit meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere in the presence of the delegations of the two countries, and of the representatives of four witness States.
The two Heads of State and the Secretary-General reviewed the progress achieved by the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, and noted the advances made in the implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice of 10 October 2002.
With the completion of the withdrawals and transfers of authority in the Lake Chad area and along the land boundary between the two countries, the Heads of State have now agreed on the modalities of the withdrawal from the Bakassi Peninsula, in accordance with the judgment of the International Court of Justice, which has confirmed the sovereignty of Cameroon over the peninsula and with due regard for the well-being of the populations. They have signed an Agreement to this effect.
They have established a follow-up committee comprised of representatives of their two countries, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and of the four witness States, namely, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.
By their determination to settle their differences through peaceful means, the Heads of State of Cameroon and Nigeria have demonstrated their ability to move beyond a difficult past and address the sources of the conflict. Today’s settlement marks a further step towards the fulfilment of their international obligations and sets an historic example for a sustainable relationship of good neighbourliness.
Representatives of the above-mentioned four States have witnessed today’s signing of the Agreement. Their presence shows that the international community fully supports and has full confidence in the process of implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice of 10 October 2002, and that it continues to monitor the process in anticipation of its successful culmination.
The Secretary-General congratulated the Heads of State of Cameroon and Nigeria for devising a new approach in the area of conflict resolution and emphasized that the United Nations has played an important role in the process through an extremely cost-effective mechanism.
He invited the parties to continue to fulfil their obligations in good faith, and pledged the continued support of the United Nations for the process.
The Heads of State of Cameroon and Nigeria expressed their appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the witness States.
Source: United Nations
New York, 12 June 2006 -
Secretary-General's statement on Bakassi Peninsula
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you today. The signing ceremony which has brought us together crowns a remarkable experiment in conflict prevention by Cameroon and Nigeria.
Many individuals have worked tirelessly to realize today's Agreement. I am particularly proud of the UN's role in supporting from the beginning this innovative process.
But we are here, first and foremost, thanks to the vision of Presidents Biya and Obasanjo, two leaders of uncommon courage and foresight.
Nearly four years ago, in an inspiring example - that I hope will be emulated by others - of African leaders coming together to resolve differences peacefully, they resolved to settle their countries' border dispute in accordance with international law. On a continent with an abundance of conflicts, their decision was ultimately a victory for the rule of law, and for the idea that differences can be resolved peacefully.
Since then, these two statesmen have demonstrated patience, tenacity, flexibility and restraint, which has enabled them finally to arrive at today's milestone.
Working with the United Nations, they entrusted the implementation of the International Court of Justice's ruling on their border dispute to a new Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, chaired by my Special Representative, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. The Cameroonian and Nigerian teams to the Mixed Commission were ably led by Prime Minister Amadou Ali and Justice Prince Bola Ajibola respectively.
As many of you know, this unique entity has no international troops or peacekeepers. Instead, it relies upon a small handful of core UN staff plus a dozen or so civilian observers to facilitate the transfer of authority, support affected populations, and assist in the boundary demarcation.
The Mixed Commission has proved highly effective. It has overseen the peaceful and orderly transfer of authority in some 40 villages on Lake Chad and along the land boundary. Some 460 kilometers of land boundary have also been demarcated. Agreements covering three of the four disputed sectors have been reached.
The entire process has been creative, low-cost and efficient. Progress has been achieved at a fraction of the cost of comparable undertakings elsewhere. It has demonstrated that -- given political will and appropriate UN support -- countries can work together to settle disputes not only peacefully, but very cost-effectively for themselves and for the international community.
This compares highly favorably with, for instance, our efforts to demarcate the Eritrea-Ethiopia border. There, the international community has, to date, spent $1.2 billion dollars. And this amount does not even include what the two countries themselves have spent on war; a war which has killed thousands upon thousands of people, destroyed a great deal of property, and caused tremendous sums of money to be wasted on weaponry. Yet, not a single kilometer has been demarcated! I think the contrast is telling.
With today's Agreement on the Bakassi Peninsula, a comprehensive resolution of the dispute is within our grasp.
I am confident that the two Parties will continue to implement their agreements in a cooperative and constructive manner. The momentum achieved must be sustained. So I have urged the international community to give its full support to Nigeria and Cameroon's efforts to implement today's agreement on the ground as soon as possible.
In this context I especially welcome the presence of senior representatives of the United States, Britain, France and Germany as witnesses to this Agreement. Their governments' support and encouragement has been crucial in bringing the two parties to this point, and their continued involvement will help ensure a lasting end to this dispute.
Until that happens, the Parties have my assurance that the United Nations will remain engaged in the process. We are proud of what we have already achieved, and look forward to a speedy and successful end to the Mixed Commission's work.
Thank you very much.
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