Secretary-General Applauds Equatorial Guinea, Gabon on Showing Political Will to Finalize Special Accord for Submission at International Court of Justice

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the holding of a trilateral ministerial meeting on the dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on 19 January at United Nations Headquarters in New York.  He congratulates both parties for their demonstrated political will to instil new momentum in the process and to finalize a special agreement for submission to the International Court of Justice.

The Secretary-General notes the progress made to date and the parties’ willingness to do their utmost to come to a mutually agreeable solution to this long-standing dispute before the end of his mandate.  He reiterates his readiness to provide good offices to help resolve this dispute.