ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN LOM+, TOGO, 9 - 12 JULY
The Secretary-General arrived in Lomé, Togo, on the afternoon of Sunday, 9 July. He travelled by road from Accra, where he had spent the weekend on a private visit. The Secretary-General was greeted at the border (a five-to-10- minute car ride from the centre of Lomé) by Togolese Prime Minister Eugene Koffi Adoboli. Upon arrival at his hotel, the Secretary-General had a brief meeting with the Prime Minister. He then held internal meetings with members of his delegation. Following that, he met with heads of United Nations agencies and programmes who were in Lomé to attend the Organization of African Unity (OAU) meeting. In the evening, he met with the President of Mali, Alpha Oumar Konare, who is also the current Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
On Monday, 10 July, the Secretary-General started the day with a meeting with the French Minister of Cooperation, Charles Josselin. Later in the morning, the Secretary-General participated in a closed-door meeting of the African heads of State and government, which preceded the formal opening of the annual Summit meeting of the OAU. In his address at the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General stressed the obligation of industrialized countries to ensure that Africa, with other developing regions, had a fair chance to compete in the new global economy. But he also noted that too many of Africas problems are self-inflicted. He added that there was also room for good news and mentioned African success stories in the fight against HIV/AIDS, democratization and cooperation at the subregional level in areas ranging from conflict resolution to trade and economic development. The Secretary-General called for investments on education, in particular, that of girls, and highlighted the importance of information technology and the opportunity it might create for African countries to leap-frog earlier stages of development. He concluded by stating that he feels the winds of change are blowing throughout Africa the winds of democracy, of respect for independence, dignity, and for the rule of law, adding that, I am convinced this process is irreversible. (See Press Release SG/SM/7485/Rev.l.)
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General had a meeting with the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of India, K.V. Rajan, and in the evening he met with the heads of State/government and heads of delegation of the ECOWAS Committee on Sierra Leone -- Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Togo -- to review the situation in Sierra Leone. The President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, also took part in the meeting. Later that evening, the Secretary-General joined the heads of State/government at a dinner hosted by the President of Togo, Gnassingbe Eyadema.
After the meeting which the Secretary-General had with the ECOWAS Committee on Sierra Leone, a joint communiqué was issued demanding that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) restore immediately and without conditions the freedom of movement of the United Nations personnel, in particular, the peacekeepers and military observers in Kailahun. The communiqué also noted the need to establish coordination mechanisms to strengthen the cohesiveness of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone. It announced that the Secretary-General would hold a meeting on Wednesday, 12 July, with the Commanders of the Armed Forces of the ECOWAS member States that are contributing troops to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) -- Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.
On Tuesday, 11 July, the Secretary-General's first meeting was with Don McKinnon, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. The Secretary-General then met with the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki. Following that, the Secretary- General participated in the morning session of the OAU Summit plenary.
At 12:30 p.m., the Secretary-General held a meeting with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, followed by a series of bilateral meetings in the afternoon, in the following order: Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa; Gnassingbe Eyadema, President of Togo and current Chairman of the OAU; Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria; Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti; and Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria and outgoing Chairman of the OAU.
The Secretary-Generals first appointment on Wednesday, 12 July, the last day of the OAU Summit, was with President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone. That morning, he also met separately with President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi and with President Frederick Chiluba of Zambia.
Following that, he met with General Victor Malu, Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army, and Colonel Kerfala Kamara, Chief of Staff of the Guinean Army. The Foreign Minister of Ghana, Victor Gbeho, also participated in the meeting organized for the Secretary-General to review the operation on the ground of the peacekeeping forces in Sierra Leone. (As explained by Foreign Minister Gbeho, the Ghanaian army Chief of Staff was not present due to a difficulty in communications with Accra.) Other participants in the meeting were Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, Special Representative of the Secretary- General in Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeneji and Major General Vijay Kumar Jetley, Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone.
Upon leaving the meeting, the Secretary-General had a brief press encounter. In response to a question, the Secretary-General said: "We discussed some of the operational difficulties on the ground and the need for us to work as a force that is solid and solidaire, and that really works together to implement the mandate. I think there was unanimity as to what we should do: full support for Major General Jetley, and full support for our efforts on the ground. There are certain missing equipment that we need to provide for the contingents on the ground [that] some of the Western countries have promised, and it will be my responsibility to press them to deliver."
In answer to a question on sanctions, he said: "Yesterday, we did discuss it with the political leaders and the decision taken by the Council to ensure that sanctions are imposed, and that neighbouring countries do not facilitate the smuggling of diamonds, particularly by the RUF, to continue the war. We hope that in time, the diamond areas will be brought under governmental control and that the riches be exploited for the benefit of the people of Sierra Leone who have suffered and suffered long enough, and hopefully will one day see peace, stability and prosperity."
Responding to another query, the Secretary-General said that he had discussed the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during bilateral meetings, but a mini-summit on the sidelines of the OAU meeting, such as was held on Sierra Leone, was not possible due to the absence in Lomé of President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Secretary-General then met briefly with United Nations system staff working in Lomé, and was the guest of honour at a luncheon organized by the United Nations agencies in Togo.
In the afternoon, he met with Colonel Moummar Al-Qadhafi of Libya, former President Ketumile Masiri of Botswana and Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, President Mathieu Kerekou of Benin, and Stanislaus Mudenge, Foreign Minister of Zimbabwe, as well as Susan Rice, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs of the United States.
The Secretary-General departed from Lomé in the evening.