Pretoria, 11 August 2000
COMMUNIQUE
1. A meeting of Senior Diplomats, Military and Security Experts of the Countries of the Region (Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania) and the OAU Troika took place in Pretoria, South Africa, on Friday , 11 August 2000, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Jerry Kingsley Mamabolo, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the OAU. The OAU Secretariat delegation was led by Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ambassador Said Djinnit. The Special Envoy of the OAU secretary-general, Minister F. Madeira, also participated in the meeting.
2. The meeting was convened within the purview of the implementation of the decision adopted by the 36th ordinary session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government held in Lome, Togo, from 10 to 12 July 2000. It is to be recalled that, in its decision on the Comoros, the Assembly, inter-alia, "approved the proposals of the Council of Ministers, upon recommendation of the countries of the Region and of the Troika of the Central Organ, aimed at putting and end to the separatist crisis in Anjouan, particularly the military measures whose modalities will be determined by the countries of the Region and the Troika of the Central Organ".
3. The meeting reviewed the status of implementation of the measures aimed at isolating the leadership of the Anjouanese separatist movement, which came into force on 1st February 2000, as well as the second set of measures against the Anjouanese separatist leadership which entered into force on 20 March 2000.
4. The meeting noted with appreciation the steps taken by the Comorian Authorities and the countries of the Region to implement the measures.
5. The meeting stressed that, despite all the aforementioned efforts and steps and their impact on the ground, the measures are still to fully achieve their expected political goals. In this regard, the meeting noted that violations of the measures have occurred and continue to take place.
6. The meeting strongly reiterated that the OAU objective is to bring the separatist crisis in Anjouan to a swift end and restore the unity and territorial integrity of the Archipelago. It also reiterated that the Antananarivo Agreement remains the most viable framework for a lasting solution which meets the legitimate aspirations of the Comorian islands and people.
7. The meeting agreed on the need for the countries of the Region and the Troika to act with speed and determination, within the framework of the mandate entrusted to them by the OAU Lome Summit. Such action will not only reverse the process of state disintegration in the Comoros, but also halt the suffering of the innocent Anjouanese population and the rest of the Comorian people at large.
8. In this regard, the meeting agreed on the need to enhance the effectiveness of the first two sets of measures. It decided to set up a Working Group of Senior Diplomats and Military/Security Experts from South Africa (Chair), Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania to: a) propose, with immediate effect, ways and means to further enhance the effectiveness of the measures already in force; b) make a thorough assessment of the impact of these measures.
9. the meeting also agreed that the countries of the Region should immediately initiate the required preparations for the implementation of the Lome decision on the military related measures. In this regard, the meeting mandated the above-mentioned Working Group to undertake a field mission to the Comoros with a view to assessing the military and security situation, updating existing plans and submitting concrete proposals in order to bring into effect the Lome decision on military related measures.
10. The Working Group shall submit its report on the two issues within a period of three months to the meeting of Senior Diplomats, Military and Security Experts, which shall reconvene in Pretoria, South Africa, and which, subsequently, will report to the Ministerial meeting of the countries of the Region and of the Troika.
11. The meeting expressed its appreciation and gratitude to the South African Authorities for their generous hospitality and the excellent facilities put in place for the success of this meeting.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs