Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
South Africa, as OAU Coordinator for the Comoros, again calls on the representatives of Anjouan to commit themselves to the terms of the Antananarivo Agreement so that the archipelago can return to civilian democratic rule without delay.
The process of negotiating a new political dispensation for the Comoros reached a significant milestone in April this year when consensus was reached amongst the Comoran parties to sign the Agreement of Antananarivo.
The failure of the Anjouanese representatives to also sign the Agreement provided a further opportunity for those propagating anti- Anjouanese sentiment to exploit the situation. This led to the victimisation of Anjounese residents, especially on Grande Comore. The resultant instability then provided the excuse and cover to stage a coup d'etat on 30 April 1999.
The second visit of the Special Representative of the OAU Secretary-General, Minister Francisco Madeira, of Mozambique, to the Comoros has become necessary because of the Anjouan leadership again having reneged on commitments made to him during his first visit some weeks ago.
The position of the OAU, the Countries of the Region and South Africa as Coordinator of the latter is well --known : The Anjouanese leadership is under an obligation to honour the commitment they made to signing the Antananarivo Agreement and to then address the reservations they may have within the framework of the constitutional negotiations. Progress in this respect is dependent on the sincerity of the Anjouanese leadership to find a lasting constitutional solution.
Without legitimising the present government in the Comoros the South African Government is, in addition, fully committed to assisting them in returning the Archipelago to civilian democratic rule at the earliest opportunity.
South Africa consequently calls upon all the Comoran parties especially the Anjouanese parties to confirm their commitment to the Antananarivo Agreement and to proceed with constitutional negotiations as soon as possible. In this they can rely on the full support of the South African Government and all those who have committed themselves to a lasting political dispensation in the Comoros. Any other initiative may not be considered appropriate and any delay may be construed as an attempt to divert the constructive progress made thus far.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
Pretoria
27 OCTOBER 1999