MEETING OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION AND THE TROIKA OF THE CENTRAL ORGAN ON THE COMOROS

30 December 2000

The Ministerial meeting of the countries of the Region and the Troika of the OAU Central Organ met in Pretoria, South Africa, on 29 December 2000, to review the situation in the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros.

The Meeting was convened pursuant to the decision by the Ministers and other representatives of the countries of the Region and the OAU Troika agreed upon during their informal meeting on the Comoros, which took place in Bamako, Mali, on 1 December 2000, on the margins of the Ministerial Conference on the illicit proliferation, circulation and trafficking of small arms and light weapons.

The Meeting was chaired by Honourable N.C. Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, and was attended by:

• Mrs Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar;
• Mr. Anil K. Gayan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of Mauritius;
• Mr. Koffi Panou, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Togo
• Mr. Henrique Alberto Banze, Deputy Minister of Defence of Mozambique
• Prof. Ciarunti Chesaina, High Commissioner of Kenya in South Africa;
• Mr. Peter A.G. Sinon, High Commissioner of Seychelles in South Africa;
• Mr. E.A. Mwanbulukutu, High Commissioner of Tanzania in South Africa;
• Mr. Noureddine Djoudi, Ambassador of Algeria to South Africa;
• Mr. Simataa Akapelwa, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the OAU.

The Delegation of the OAU General Secretariat was led by the Secretary General, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim.

A Comorian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mr. Mohamed El Amin Souef, attended the meeting for consultations.

The Meeting reviewed the situation in the Comoros in the light of the Report of the Secretary General on the Comoros and the Mission Report of the OAU delegation, which visited the country from 10 to 16 December 2000. The meeting received additional briefing by the Secretary General and his Special Envoy to the Comoros.

The Meeting recalled that it was at the request of the Government of the Comoros, and with the consent of all the other Comorian Parties, that the OAU has been engaged in the efforts aimed at promoting a peaceful solution to the Comorian crisis since its outbreak in 1997. In its efforts, the OAU has worked closely with, and benefited from, the support of the International Community at large, in particular, the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Conference.

The sustained and consistent efforts of the OAU resulted in the convening of the Inter-Comorian Conference, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 19 to 23 April 1999, and the Antananarivo Agreement of 23 April 1999 which was signed by all the Comorian parties with the exception of the Anjouanese side. The Antananarivo Agreement was the outcome of intensive and all-inclusive negotiations between the Comorian Parties, and it enjoyed the support of the overwhelming majority of the Comorians, including in Anjouan. The Agreement was also unanimously supported by the International Community, including the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Indian Ocean Commission, which considered it as a fair and balanced compromise that constituted a viable framework for the lasting solution to the crisis in the Comoros.

While efforts were being made to implement the Antananarivo Agreement, a coup d'etat was perpetrated in the Comoros on 30 April 1999. Since then the OAU has been pursuing its efforts based on the following objectives:

• the resolution of the separatist crisis through the implementation of the Antananarivo Agreement; and
• the return to constitutional order.

It also decided to impose measures against the leadership of the Anjouanese separatists, aimed at persuading the Anjouanese side to sign the Antananarivo Agreement.

While these efforts were underway, the Government of the Comoros decided to hold direct talks with the Anjouanese separatists, which resulted in the signing, on 26 August 2000, of the Fomboni Joint Declaration and the subsequent lifting by the Comorian Government of the measures adopted by the OAU against the leadership of the Anjouanese separatist movement.

The OAU did not support the Fomboni Joint Declaration, which it considered as not being consistent with the Antananarivo Agreement. It was not the result of an all inclusive process and could have had the effect of undermining the unity and territorial integrity of the Comoros.

In subsequent discussions with the Comorian Parties, including the Government of the Comoros, and all OAU Partners, the representatives of the OAU reiterated that the Organization's efforts in the Comoros were guided only by the concern for three principles, namely:

• the respect for the principle of unity and territorial integrity of the country;
• the need for an all-inclusive process; and
• the return to constitutional order.

It was in the pursuit of these principles, and with a view to advancing OAU's efforts in the Comoros and further engaging the Comorian parties, that it was decided, during the informal Bamako meeting of the Ministers of the countries of the Region and the OAU Troika, to dispatch an OAU assessment Mission to the Comoros, starting from 10 December 2000. The Mission, which was led by the Special Envoy of the Secretary General to the Comoros, comprised Senior representatives from Mauritius and South Africa (Coordinator).

After a thorough review of the matter, the Ministerial Meeting considered that the time is now propitious to intensify efforts aimed at finding a lasting solution to the crisis in the Comoros. The Meeting reiterated OAU's commitment to the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Comoros, based on the respect for the principle of unity and territorial integrity of the country, the need for an all-inclusive process and the return to constitutional order.

To that end, the Meeting:

• welcomes the ongoing negotiations between the Government of the Comoros and the Opposition, and stšesses the need for broadening this process to include Anjouan;
• reaffirms OAU's readiness to facilitate such negotiations, including the convening of an appropriate forum for this purpose;
• decides to dispatch to the Comoros, in early January 2001, an OAU Mission to be led by the Special Envoy of the Secretary General and comprising Senior Representatives of the countries of the Region and the OAU Troika to engage all the Comorian Parties, including the Government, the Opposition and the Anjouanese and Mohelian sides, on the basis of i) and ii) above;
• decides, based on the outcome of the forthcoming OAU Mission to the Comoros, to recommend the review of the measures decided against the leadership of the Anjouanese separatist movement;
• considers that the Comorian crisis is first and foremost an African issue concerning an OAU Member State, and that this crisis has, since its outbreak in 1997, led the OAU to play a prominent role in spearheading efforts at finding a negotiated solution. In this regard, the Meeting urged the international community at large, including the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and all other OAU Partners concerned by the Comorian crisis, to continue to extend their support to OAU's efforts in the country.
• decides to remain actively seized with the matter.
• Finally, the Meeting expressed its appreciation and gratitude to the South African Government for its generous hospitality and the excellent facilities it has made available for the success of this meeting.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT BASETSANA THOKOANE
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Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
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