ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL IN SWITZERLAND 14-17 NOVEMBER
Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Geneva on Thursday, 14 November, where on the following day he held a series of meetings with President Paul Biya of Cameroon and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria to discuss follow-up to the World Court decision regarding the border dispute between the two countries over the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula.
The Secretary-General declined to talk to the press as he entered the Geneva hotel where the talks took place, but his Spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said that the Secretary-General was happy that the two leaders had agreed to meet with him, the first such meeting since the 10 October ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Just before that decision, he had met with them in Paris to prepare for it. The purpose of these talks, he said, was “to explore how to move the process forward in an organized and peaceful manner, taking into account the interests of both peoples”.
The Secretary-General met one-on-one first with President Biya, then with President Obasanjo. The three men then had a private lunch together.
In the afternoon, at the UN’s Geneva Headquarters, the Palais des Nations, the three principals met with their respective delegations, and by the end of the afternoon had agreed on a joint communiqué announcing a number of measures designed to improve relations between the two countries, including eventual resolution of the border issue.
The Secretary-General then read the joint communiqué to the press, in the presence of the two Presidents. In it, he announced agreement to establish a mixed commission, chaired by his Special Representative, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, to consider ways of following up the ICJ ruling and moving the process forward. The first meeting would be held in Yaounde, Cameroon, on 1 December.
The Commission, specifically, would demarcate the land boundary between the two countries, arrange for troop withdrawals along the boundary and eventually the demilitarization of the Bakassi Peninsula, with the possible presence of international personnel to observe withdrawal. The Commission would also recommend additional confidence-building measures and take other actions to strengthen ties between the two countries, including arranging meetings of officials from both sides, and promoting joint economic ventures.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed his personal commitment and that of the United Nations to continue to assist the two countries to settle their differences peacefully and welcomed the two Presidents renunciation of the use of force in their bilateral relations (See press release SG/SM/8495).
Asked by a journalist if there had been a significant advance today, the Secretary-General replied that what had happened was “a very, very good beginning”, and affirmed his view that Nigeria and Cameroon would resolve their differences peacefully.
At the end of the press encounter, the Secretary-General invited the two Presidents to shake hands, which they did willingly. He then commented, smiling, “that’s wonderful”.
On Sunday, 17 November, the Secretary-General traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to began a visit to the Balkans.