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Report
of the Seventy-Sixth Ordinary Session of the OAU Council of
Ministers / Eleventh Ordinary Session of the AEC
4 – 6 July 2002
Durban, South Africa
CM/Rpt (LXXVI)
AGENDA
ITEMS
II. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL
ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE OAU GENERAL
SECRETARIAT FOR THE PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY TO JUNE 2002
1. Introductory Note of the Secretary General
2. Headquarters CM/2253(LXXVI)Part I
3. Regional and Sub-Regional Offices
CM/2253(LXXVI)Part II
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III. POLITICAL MATTERS
1. Report of the Secretary General on:
- Liberia CM/2254(LXXVI)a
- Democratic Republic of Congo CM/2254(LXXVI)b
- Madagascar CM/2254(LXXVI)c
- Comoros CM/2254(LXXVI)d
- Angola CM/2254(LXXVI)e
2. Report of the Secretary General on the Implementation of the CSSDCA CM/2255(LXXVI)
3. Report of the Secretary General on the Situation of Refugees, Returnees and
Displaced Persons in Africa CM/2256(LXXVI)
4. a) Report of the Secretary General on strengthening the role of
OAU/AU in elections, observations and monitoring
and the advancement of the democratization process in Africa
CM/2257(LXXVI)
b) Establishment of an OAU
Organ to observe and monitor
Elections
(Proposed by the Great
Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.4
5. Report of the Secretary General on Developments in the Middle East
and Palestine CM/2258(LXXVI)
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IV. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL MATTERS
1. Report of the Secretary General on the Implementation of the Treaty Establishing
the African Economic Community:
a) Report by the General Secretariat
CM/2259(LXXVI)a
b) Report by the Secretariats of the RECs CM/2259(LXXVI)b
c) External support to the programme of Integration in the Continent
CM/2259(LXXVI)c
2. Report of the Secretary General on the outcome of the 15th Session of
the Conference of African Ministers of Industry (CAMI-15)
CM/2260(LXXVI)
3. Report of the Secretary General on the 4th General Assembly of the African Population
Commission CM/2261(LXXVI)
4. Report of the Secretary General on the 25th Session of the OAU Labour and Social
Affairs Commission and on the Ministerial
Conference on Employment and Poverty Alleviation
in Africa CM/2262(LXXVI)
5. Report of the Secretary General on the OAU Ministerial Conference on Drug Control
in Africa CM/2263(LXXVI)
6. a) African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources CM/2265
(LXXVI)
b) African Process for the Development and Protection of the
Marine and Coastal Environment (Proposed
by the Federal
Republic of Nigeria) CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.2
c) Proclamation of an
African Day of Environment (Proposed
by the Great Socialist People’s
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.3
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V. CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF
AMBASSADORS AND OTHER PLENIPOTENTIARIES
VI. ITEMS PROPOSED BY MEMBER STATES
1. Development of Human Resources for Health in Africa
(Proposed by the Republic of Congo)
CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.1
2. Implementation and Universality of the Convention on the Prohibition
Development and Production of Chemical Weapons
(Proposed by the Republic of
the Sudan) CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.5
3. The Return of the Pillaged African Monument: The Obelisk of Axum
(Proposed by the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) CM/2264
(LXXVI)
Add.6
4. Consideration of the on-going process aimed at drafting an additional
Protocol to the Algiers Convention on
Terrorism for the establishment of an
operational mechanism of the said Convention (Proposed by the Republic of
Senegal) CM/2264 (LXXVI) Add.7
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VII. CONSIDERATION OF THE DRAFT AGENDA OF THE 38TH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE
ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT AND OF THE INAUGURAL
SESSION OF THE AFRICAN UNION
VIII. DATE AND VENUE OF THE FIRST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL OF THE AFRICAN UNION
IX. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
X. ADOPTION OF THE DRAFT RAPPORTEUR’S REPORT
XI. CLOSING CEREMONY
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II.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE
OAU GENERAL SECRETARIAT FOR THE PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY TO
JUNE 2002
1. Introductory Note of the
Secretary General
2. Headquarters
CM/2253(LXXVI)Part I
3. Regional and
Sub-Regional Offices CM/2253(LXXVI)Part II
46. There
was no formal presentation of the above item, because the
Opening Statement of the Secretary General had covered all
the salient points in Document CM/2253 (LXXVI) Parts I and
II. In considering the item, attention of Council was
drawn to the addendum to the introductory Note of the
Secretary General on the Follow-up on the Africa-Europe
Summit and the corrigendum to the same Report on the
Situation in Western Sahara.
47. Council
took note of the Report of the Secretary General on the
Activities of the OAU General Secretariat for the period
from February to June 2002 and the two Addenda and
approved the recommendations contained therein.
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III. POLITICAL MATTERS
1. a)
Report of the Secretary General on Liberia- CM/2254(LXXVI)
- a
48. The
Report of the Secretary General on Liberia was introduced
by the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs
who stated that the Report contained an account of the
security and humanitarian situations in the country, which
had given much cause for concern, in the light of the
recent incursions made by the rebel movement, the
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).
The Report also highlighted the human rights situation in
the country.
49. Council
was informed that the Report also dwelt on the efforts of
the Liberian Government to launch a national
reconciliation process, in response to the call made by
ECOWAS to encourage a process of national reconciliation
in Liberia, including the convening of an all-Liberian
Conference IN Abuja in March 2002. Mention was also made
of the Mano River Union Summit held at Rabat in February
2002. The report made mention as well, of the actions of
the OAU, including the two missions undertaken by the
Special Envoy of the OAU Secretary General in February and
March, and in May and June 2002. During those two visits,
the Special Envoy had met, inter-alia, President
Taylor and members of his Government, President Kabbah and
members of his Government, the Foreign Minister of Guinea,
the ECOWAS Executive Secretary and representatives of the
LURD.
50.
Finally, the Assistant Secretary General drew the
attention of Council to the fact that, as stated in the
report, during the UN debate on the sanctions imposed on
Liberia, the OAU had stood by the position of ECOWAS,
which was that they should be lifted in view of the
negative impact they were having on the Liberian people in
socio-economic and humanitarian terms; and that rather,
the international community should engage the Liberian
leadership constructively.
51. In the
discussion that ensued, it was observed that the situation
in Liberia had given cause for much concern in the West
African region. Council was informed by the Nigerian
delegation that in the light of that, an ECOWAS
initiative, led by Nigeria, had been undertaken to
organise an inter-Liberian Conference in Abuja, Nigeria.
The convening of that Conference had been motivated by the
desire to forge a common understanding among all the
parties to the conflict in Liberia, so as to bring peace
to the country and the region as a whole. Unfortunately,
the Conference had not achieved significant progress on
the matter, since fighting had resumed in Liberia.
Subsequently, an ECOWAS Summit meeting was held in
Yamoussoukro in May with a view to encouraging the parties
to the conflict, to seek a successful solution.
52. Council
launched an appeal to all the concerned parties to
continue to work together with a view to achieving peace
in the region.
53. It
commended the efforts so far deployed by the OAU, ECOWAS,
the Mano River Union and the UN Security Council in their
bid to secure peace in Liberia and the region.
54. Council
also appealed to the UN Security Council to review the
sanctions imposed on Liberia, following the UN Panel’s
visit.
55. Noting
the grave consequences emanating from the resumption of
the fighting in Liberia, Council appealed to all Member
States of the OAU and the international community, to
assist in every way possible to enable the countries of
the region to adequately address the humanitarian, social
and economic needs of the affected citizens.
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b) Report of
the Secretary General on the Democratic Republic of Congo
- CM/2254(LXXVI) - b
56. Council
examined the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), particularly the peace process set in motion by the
Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement. Introducing the above item,
the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs
stressed that the Inter-Congolese Dialogue (ICD) which had
taken place at Sun City, had not led to any consensual
agreement despite the efforts invested by the Facilitator,
and H. E. Thabo Mbeki, President of the host country. At
the end of the ICD, the parties could not agree on a
comprehensive agreement on the transitional arrangements.
On the other hand, an agreement had been signed between
the government and the Movement for the Liberation of
Congo (MLC) led by Mr. Jean Pierre Bemba, as well as by
other Congolese parties. That agreement had, however, been
rejected by the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) Goma)
and a number of other political parties.
57.
Concerning the other aspects of implementation of the
Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement, the Assistant Secretary
General highlighted the problems that have continued to
undermine the process; namely violations of the cease-fire
and the deceleration of the process for the withdrawal of
foreign troops.
58. Council
was also informed of the adoption of Resolution 1417
(2002) by the United Nations Security Council which, among
other things, extended the mandate of MONUC up to 30 June
2003; but that the Security Council had neither acceded to
the UN Secretary General’s proposal to increase the
military strength of MONUC, nor the request by the
signatory parties of the Lusaka Agreement to strengthen
the mandate of MONUC. The Assistant Secretary General
further informed Council of the appointment by the UN
Secretary General of a Special Envoy in the person of Mr.
Moustapha Niasse, former Prime Minister of the Republic of
Senegal, with a mandate to reconcile the positions of the
Congolese Parties, with a view to reaching a consensual
and inclusive agreement.
59. Mr.
Kikaya Bin Karubi, Minister of Communication and Media of
the Democratic Republic of Congo, briefed Council on the
status of the peace process in his country, particularly
with regard to the Inter- Congolese Dialogue which had
taken place at Sun City, and which had adopted 37
Resolutions on the various aspects of the political,
economic, social and cultural life of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. According to the leader of the DRC
delegation, the Sun City meeting had reached a Framework
Agreement signed by all the Congolese Parties, except the
RCD, which represent 70% of the country. He noted that the
Secretary General’s report had not adequately
highlighted the tragic events which had taken place in
Kisangani, or the efforts by the government of the
Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve the issue of armed
groups, a number of which had already encamped at Kamina.
Honorable Minister Karubi underscored the systematic
rejection of the Sun City Agreement by RCD-Goma.
Concluding, the leader of the DRC delegation recommended
that the African Union should involve itself more in the
resolution of the conflict, to enable the Democratic
Republic of Congo to play its role as a unifying State in
the region.
60. Several
delegations took the floor to voice their concern about
the partial outcome of the Inter- Congolese Dialogue. They
also expressed their countries’ commitment to the peace
process set in motion by the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement,
and urged the Congolese parties to restart the Dialogue
process with a view to arriving at an inclusive and
consensual agreement. The Council then urged the OAU/AU to
continue to closely monitor the situation in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and called upon the
international community to provide multiform assistance
towards the peace process in the DRC and for
reconstruction of the country.
61. During
the debate, the Foreign Minister of Mauritius briefed
Council about overtures by the United States of America to
obtain exemption through the Security Council of the
United Nations, under the International Criminal Court
Treaty, for its military personnel engaged in peacekeeping
operations. In the event of failure in that bid, it should
be expected that the United States would cease
contributing forces to peacekeeping operations in the
world. That being the case, Africa must anticipate that
the decision taken on the matter would impact considerably
on the United States contribution to peacekeeping
operations in future.
62.
Delegations took the floor on this specific issue to
express their concern at the United States’ request.
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c)
Report of the Secretary General on Madagascar
-CM/2254(LXXVI) - c
63. The
report of the Secretary General on the situation in
Madagascar was introduced by the Assistant Secretary
General in charge of Political Affairs. In his
introductory remarks, the Assistant Secretary General
noted the absence of the delegation of Madagascar at the
meeting which he attributed to the decision adopted by the
Central Organ during its meeting at Summit level, in Addis
Ababa on 21 June 2002. The Assistant Secretary General
indicated that the Central Organ had come to the
conclusion that the presidential election of 16 December
2001 in Madagascar, had not resulted in a constitutionally
and legally constituted government and, as such, the seat
of Madagascar would have to remain vacant until the
parties reached a consensus on a political solution to the
crisis in conformity with OAU principles.
64. The
Assistant Secretary General noted that the Central Organ
had taken that decision against a background of sustained
efforts by the OAU to assist the parties in the search for
such a solution. The efforts and initiatives included the
visit of the Secretary General, in February 2002, the
mission of the OAU Contact Group for Madagascar in March
2002, the first meeting of the two protagonists in Dakar
in April 2002 and the signing of the Dakar Agreement,
under the auspices of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal
and other Heads of State, members of the Committee of the
Facilitators; the visit of the ministerial delegation to
Madagascar in May 2002, to ensure the implementation of
the Dakar Agreement; the meeting and solemn appeal of
Libreville of June 2002; and the second meeting in Dakar
between the two protagonists in June 2002, which had
resulted in a plan for the settlement of the crisis but
that had not been immediately approved by the parties.
Meanwhile, the elements of the armed forces, which had
rallied behind Mr. Ravalomanana, were reported to have
occupied the majority of the autonomous provinces.
65. The
Assistant Secretary General indicated that, on the eve of
the meeting of the Central Organ, the Secretary General
was informed of the decision by some countries to
recognize the government of M. Ravalomanana, and the
expectations by these countries that the Central Organ
would do likewise. Since then, a number of other countries
have recognized M. Ravalomanana as President of the
Republic Madagascar and some had even signed cooperation
agreements with his government.
66. Several
delegations took the floor during the long exchange of
views on the crisis in Madagascar. During their
interventions most delegations raised their concern over
the recognition by some OAU cooperating partners of those
African governments considered by the OAU in violation of
its founding principles, instead of supporting the
Organization’s efforts to abide by its principles. The
delegations paid tribute to the OAU current Chairman, Mr.
Patrick Levy Mwanawasa, of Zambia, President Wade of
Senegal and other members of the Committee of
Facilitators, the Secretary General of the OAU and the
Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for
their sustained efforts in the search for a peaceful
solution to the Madagascar crisis.
67. Council
was of the view that the situation in Madagascar
constituted a dangerous precedent for the OAU in its
efforts to uphold the respect for the rule of law and
democratic governance. In that regard, all the delegations
saluted the Algiers decision of July 1999, and the Lome
Declaration of July 2000, on unconstitutional changes of
government.
68. Some
delegations underscored the need for pragmatism, taking
into account the unfolding situation on the ground,
including the control of the majority of the provinces by
Mr. Ravalomanana’s forces and his recognition by some
foreign powers as the President of Madagascar. In that
regard, they requested Council to recommend to the
Assembly, a review of the decision of the Central Organ of
June 2002. They stressed that, under the prevailing
conditions in the country, the organization of new free
and fair elections would be almost an impossible task and,
as such, emphasis should rather be put on national
reconciliation and the preservation of national unity and
cohesion. For these delegations, the efforts of the OAU in
Madagascar had paid off, as they had helped the country
avert a civil war. Consequently, it was imperative for the
OAU to continue to encourage Mr. Ravalomanana to pursue
national reconciliation, including by inviting him to take
part in the launching of the African Union, as the seat of
Madagascar should not be vacant at the historic time of
the launching of the Union.
69. By
contrast, other delegations, recalling previous situations
where the Algiers decision and Lomé declarations had been
enforced, insisted on the need to avoid double standard in
the application of key OAU principles. In their view, the
OAU should refrain from appearing to be influenced by the
recognition granted by some foreign powers to Mr.
Ravalomanana, as that could be detrimental to the
credibility of the Organization.
70. While
expressing the firm view of the need for the OAU/AU to
abide by its principles, the delegations agreed that
Council should recommend to the Assembly to review the
situation in Madagascar in the light of the decision of
the Central Organ of June 2002 and any other political
developments in the country. For them, the Assembly should
be concerned about the search of a lasting political
solution that would be acceptable to all the parties.
71.
Speaking at the end of the discussions, the Secretary
General informed Council that since its involvement in
Madagascar, the OAU has always been conscious of the need
to negotiate a political, rather than a legal solution to
the crisis, notably through national reconciliation. He
stressed the need for OAU Member States to act on the
basis of principles, and concurred with the recommendation
that Council should defer the issue under examination to
the Assembly. The Secretary General appealed for serenity,
in view of the fact that the situation, continued to
evolve in an unpredictable fashion, affirming that he was
closely following the situation and that he would inform
Council and the Assembly of any new significant
developments in the country.
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d) Report
of the Secretary General on The Comoros- CM/2254(LXXVI)
– d
72. The
Assistant Secretary General in charge of Political Affairs
introduced the report of the Secretary General on the
situation in the Comoros. In his remarks, he welcomed the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the
Comoros, Mr. Mohamed El Amine Souef to the meeting as the
sign of a happy end to the double institutional and
separatist crises that the country was confronted with
since 1997. He further indicated that that outcome had
been made possible thanks to the efforts undertaken by the
Comorian people, with the assistance of the OAU and the
countries of the Region, under the coordination of South
Africa, and with the support of the wider international
community. He seized the opportunity to thank the
countries of the Region and OAU partners in the Comoros
for their efforts.
73. The
Assistant Secretary General noted that although the
country now has a democratically elected President, much
remains to be done in order to complete the setting up of
the new institutions, strengthen the ongoing
reconciliation process and promote socio-economic
development. In this regard, he invited all OAU Member
States and the international community as a whole, to
actively take part in the donors conference on the
Comoros, which will be hosted by Mauritius later this
year, so as to provide the Comoros with much needed
resources for socio-economic development.
74.
Speaking during the session, the Comorian Minister of
Foreign Affairs expressed the gratitude of the Comorian
people and authorities to the OAU, for its sustained
efforts and encouragement. He noted that although the OAU
had achieved its objective in the Comoros, there was still
much to be done to consolidate the reconciliation process.
In this regard, Mr. El-Amine Souef urged the OAU to assist
the Comorian authorities in the organization, as soon as
possible, of legislative and local elections for the
establishment of a National Assembly. He requested the
support for capacity building in the area of
decentralizing the administration of the Union, and called
on all OAU Member States to contribute, within their
means, to the donors conference on the Comoros, which is
scheduled to take place in Mauritius.
75. Mr.
Souef underscored the fact that the cycle of crisis that
had affected the Comoros since independence would find no
lasting solution if the issue of the socio-economic
development of the Islands was not addressed
comprehensively. He also indicated that the issue of the
island of Mayotte continued to be cause for concern for
all the Comorian people. In this regard, he informed
Council that this island belongs to the Comorian ensemble
and that the Comorian people would like to see it join the
new Union of the Comoros.
76. The
other delegations that took the floor welcomed the return
to constitutional rule in the Comoros and congratulated
Colonel Azali Assoumani on his election as President of
the Union of the Comoros. They also paid tribute to the
Comorian people for their patience and cooperation with
the OAU throughout the process. They also congratulated
the Government of Mauritius for accepting to host the
donors conference on the Comoros, and expressed the wish
that the donors conference on the Comoros would take place
as soon as possible to enable the consolidation of the
reconciliation process in the Comoros.
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e) Report
of the Secretary General on Angola-CM/2254(LXXVI) - e
77. Council
discussed the situation in Angola at length following a
brief introduction of the item by the Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs and the presentation by its
Chairman H.E. Mr. Sule Lamido, Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, of the report of the
OAU Ad-Hoc Committee on the Follow-up on the UN Security
Council Sanctions against UNITA. The Assistant Secretary
General and the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee
underscored the positive developments in the Angolan peace
process, and the need for adequate assistance from the
international community to support the process and help
the Angolan Government address the resulting humanitarian
crisis. The Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee further
recommended that the sanctions imposed against UNITA be
maintained until there was irreversible progress in the
peace process. He briefed Council on the activities of the
Ad Hoc Committee, particularly the visits to some African
countries. Lastly, he drew Council’s attention to the
recommendations contained in the report.
78. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola, Mr. Joao Bernardo
Miranda thanked the OAU Ad-Hoc Committee for a job well
done, adding that he was aware of the difficulties
inherent in the task. He intimated that the sanctions
imposed on UNITA were determining factors for the end of
the war, and thanked the OAU and African countries for the
assistance they had provided to Angola, and the solidarity
demonstrated. In that regard, the Angolan Minister of
Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of the social
dimension of the peace process, which could constitute a
risk factor if care was not taken. He stated that since
the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on 4 April
2002, 78,800 ex-UNITA combatants had been quartered, 5,000
of whom had been integrated into the army and police while
the rest would undergo accelerated training for subsequent
integration into civilian life. He also indicated that
Angola was grappling with 50,000 orphans, 50,000 maimed
people, 4 million displaced persons and over 400,000
refugees from neighbouring countries.
79. Several
delegations expressed satisfaction at the new prospects
for peace in Angola, adding that the end of the war in
that country had constituted a significant achievement,
not only for Angola but for the entire African Continent.
All the delegations congratulated the Angolan authorities,
especially President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, for the way
he had so far handled the situation as well as the
on-going peace process. Thus, the signing on 4 April 2002
of the Memorandum of Understanding, Supplementary to the
Lusaka Protocol for Cessation of Hostilities and
Resolution of Pending Military Issues, was an event of
great political significance. All delegations were of the
opinion that, it was necessary to show solidarity in
concrete terms, towards Angola considering the daunting
problems that country had to grapple with as a result of
the peace process.
80. At the
end of the debate, Council supported the recommendations
of the OAU Ad-Hoc Committee with the exception of that
stipulated in paragraph 29(d) regarding the report on
extending assistance to UNITA for transformation into a
political organization, on the grounds that such action
could constitute an instance of interference in the
internal affairs of Angola.
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2. Report
of the Secretary General on the Implementation of the
CSSDCA - CM/2255(LXXVI)
81. The
Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs
introduced the Report on the Conference on Security,
Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA).
He recalled the Sirte Declaration adopted by the 4th
Extraordinary Summit, on 4 September 1999, and the Solemn
Declaration on the CSSDCA adopted by Heads of State and
Government in July 2000 in Lomé, Togo.
82. He
noted that the Solemn Declaration provided a framework for
political and economic governance for the development of
the CSSDCA process as a policy development forum, and as a
mechanism for monitoring and evaluation for the OAU/AU. In
pursuance of the directive by the Heads of State and
Government, that detailed discussions be undertaken on the
various calabashes in order to implement the CSSDCA
Process, the General Secretariat had convened the Meetings
of Experts on Development and Cooperation, in Midrand,
South Africa in December 2001, and on Security and
Stability, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 2002. Each
Meeting of Experts had adopted a Memorandum of
Understanding which had been consolidated into a General
Memorandum of Understanding on Security, Stability,
Development and Cooperation.
83. The
Council was also informed of the second OAU-Civil Society
Conference organized in Addis Ababa, from 11-15 June 2002,
which had examined the General Memorandum of Understanding
on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation of the
CSSDCA, and submitted recommendations for enriching the
same. These recommendations of the conference have been
reflected in the Consolidated Memorandum of Understanding
that had been submitted to Council for consideration. The
Assistant Secretary General concluded that all the
mandates of the Lomé and Lusaka Summits with regard to
the CSSDCA had been fulfilled.
84. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria expressed his government’s appreciation to the
Secretary General and his staff for the successful
integration of the CSSDCA process into the work programme
of the African Union. He commended the Ambassadors and
governmental experts who had participated in the various
expert meetings that had resulted in the Memorandum of
Understanding now under review.
85. The
Minister also expressed delight that African Civil Society
Organizations had been given the opportunity to provide
inputs for the CSSDCA process. He observed that their
comments were constructive, and showed clearly the value
that Civil Society participation could add to the process
of governance on the continent. He urged Council to adopt
the proposed amendments as they would enrich the
Memorandum of Understanding for submission to the Heads of
State and Government for endorsement.
86. The
Minister further informed Council that, as a mark of
Nigeria’s support for the CSSDCA Trust Fund, along with
South Africa had contributed US$ 500,000 each to the Trust
Fund. He appealed to other African countries to contribute
to the Fund as a sign of support to the process. The
Minister expressed satisfaction with the interest shown by
the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
the UN and some European countries in the CSSDCA process,
which complemented the NEPAD process as a programme of the
African Union. Finally, the Minister endorsed the proposal
contained in the Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen
and enlarge the CSSDCA so that it could perform fully its
mandate.
87. The
Report of the Secretary General and the recommendations
therein as well as the Consolidated Memorandum of
Understanding were thereafter adopted by Council.
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3.
Report of the Secretary General on the Situation of
Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons in Africa -
CM/2256(LXXVI)
88. The
Assistant Secretary General in charge of Political Affairs
presented the item. He informed Council that the problem
of refugees, returnees and displaced persons on the
continent had remained basically the same as had been
reported during its last session. He however pointed out
that the report was presented to Council in order to
continue to sensitize Member States to the need to address
the problems of refugees and displaced persons on the
continent.
89. After
the above introductory remarks of the Assistant Secretary
General, Council took note of the Report.
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4.
(a) Report of the Secretary General on strengthening the
role of OAU/AU in elections, observations and monitoring
and the advancement of the democratisation process in
Africa - CM/2257(LXXVI)
(b) Establishment of an OAU
Organ to observe and Monitor Elections (Item
proposed by the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya) – Doc. CM/2264 (LXXVI) – Add.4
90.
Introducing the above reports, the Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs stated that the reports had
their genesis in OAU‘s involvement in election
observation and in the democratic process in Africa,
following the adoption of the July 1990 Addis Ababa
Declaration on the Political and Socio-Economic Situation
in Africa and the Fundamental Changes Taking Place in the
World. This Declaration was followed by the subsequent
adoption of the Algiers Decision of July 1999, and the
Lomé Declaration of July 2000, on Unconstitutional
Changes of Government, whose common values and principles
have become the benchmark for the Organization’s
subsequent actions regarding the democratic process and
good governance.
91. The
report went on to review the democratic progress achieved
in Member States, especially in regard to the
establishment of pertinent legal and institutional
frameworks, as well as the involvement of the civil
society. The report further indicated that, despite
progress made, Member States were still faced with some
difficulties, such as inadequate financial resources and
equipment, deficiencies in the legal and institutional
structures, weakness of institutions responsible for the
electoral process, low level voter education and
awareness; etc. The Assistant Secretary General emphasized
that the list of such weaknesses were not exhaustive, and
that they have seriously hampered efforts at organizing
free, fair, credible and democratic elections.
92. The
Assistant Secretary General then invited the Council to
the critical assessment of OAU’s performance in the area
of election made in the report, especially the absence of
a clear mandate spelt out in a decision or declaration
indicating, in unambiguous terms, the aims and objectives
of OAU election monitoring missions; the lack of
institutional capacities to effectively undertake
activities geared to strengthening democratic processes in
Africa; lack of adequate financial resources to enable the
Organization undertake its mission effectively and to
cover all the critical aspects of the electoral process;
namely voter registration, declaration of results,
including electoral campaign and the actual casting of
votes.
93. The
Assistant Secretary General further drew Council’s
attention to the series of recommendations on various
aspects of this issue, especially on a radical review of
the Organization’s policy, criteria to guarantee more
effective and efficient participation by the Organization
in election observation missions, the need to endow the
Organization with sufficient financial resources to enable
it participate actively in the democratization process and
establishing a democratization support fund.
94.
Concluding, Assistant Secretary General recommended that
in order to effectively orientate OAU/AU’s intervention
in elections and in consolidating democratic processes, a
Declaration be adopted on the principles to guide the
conduct of democratic elections in Africa, adding that the
Draft Declaration which reaffirmed the principles and
objectives already adopted by the OAU/AU since the 1990
Declarations on the Fundamental Changes Taking Place in
the World and on Popular Participation in Development
including the Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of
Government, the Declaration on the CSSDCA (Lomé, 2000)
and the Declaration on NEPAD (Lusaka, 2001), had been
submitted to the Drafting Committee for consideration.
95.
Following the above presentation, the Libyan Minister of
the African Union took the floor to recommend the setting
up of a Unit within the AU Commission for election
monitoring and observation. He expressed satisfaction at
the quality of the Secretary General’s report on this
important issue and he also stressed that Africans had
already shown their willingness to consolidate their
democracy through the adoption of the Algiers Decision and
the Lomé Declaration. He denounced the tendency of some
foreign forces, on the continent, to interfere in the
internal affairs of African States through elections,
adding that such action constituted a threat to African
integration and independence. He stated that Africa had
the ability to organize free, fair and transparent
elections on its own, and that all those who wanted to
assist in the organization and observation of elections,
should do so through the OAU. In that regard, he
recommended the establishment of an appropriate mechanism
to which his country was already willing to contribute.
This mechanism should also be capable of assisting Member
States, which expressed the need for help, in the
organization of their elections, without interference from
foreign forces on the continent.
96. After
these two presentations, many delegations took the floor
to congratulate the Secretary General on the quality and
relevance of the report, and the recommendations contained
therein. All the delegations agreed that the report was
consistent with the decisions taken by the OAU Heads of
State and Government and in particular the Algiers
Decision and the Lomé Declaration on Unconstitutional
Changes of Government, CSSDCA and NEPAD programmes
especially aspects dealing with democratic governance, the
rule of law and popular participation. They deplored the
fact that OAU was unable to cover the elections it had
been invited to observe, adequately, due to the meagre
resources at its disposal. They therefore requested that
adequate means be provided to the Organisation to enable
it to carry out this important mission satisfactorily.
97. While
underscoring the importance of election observation and
monitoring, the delegations also highlighted the
difficulties encountered in the preliminary stages,
particularly the drawing-up of reliable electoral lists.
Other delegations also stressed the importance of allowing
international observers to monitor elections, thereby
guaranteeing greater credibility and providing added
assurance to all the contestants. They deplored situations
where some leaders who had lost elections had refused to
hand over power to the newly elected candidates. In that
connection, those same delegations recommended that the
provisions of the Algiers Decision should be applied
against such leaders.
98. The
delegations also welcomed the establishment of a special
election fund and the involvement of Civil Society in the
work of the Union in that regard. Furthermore, they
recommended that recognition be accorded to the status of
political oppositions in Member States in order to
entrench a culture of democracy, particularly change of
government through the ballot box. By the same token, the
various oppositions must also demonstrate a sense of
responsibility and adhere to the rules of democracy and
constitutional legality. The vital role of the media in
strengthening the democratic process was also underscored.
99. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the
Republic of Mozambique recommended the inclusion of the
item on Lesotho and the very successful general election
which had been held there in the framework of national
reconciliation with the involvement of the OAU.
100.
Council took note with appreciation of the report of the
Secretary General and the proposals by Libya. It called on
the Drafting Committee to examine the Draft Declaration
presented by the Secretariat in the light of the report
and to come up with appropriate recommendations for
submission to the Assembly of Heads of State and
Government.
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5.
Report
of the Secretary General on Developments in the Middle East and
Palestine - CM/2258(LXXVI)
101. The
above report was introduced by the Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs who indicated that the
situation in Palestine had seriously deteriorated both in
terms of the escalating cycle of violence as reflected by
the unprecedented Israeli Army attacks resulting in
hundreds of deaths with thousands wounded among
Palestinian demonstrators.
102.
Despite the numerous urgent appeals by the International
Community, Israel had now been maintaining its siege on
President Arafat for months on end; it had ignored the
Arab League’s peace initiative proposed at the end of
its 14th Ordinary Session held in Beirut,
Lebanon, in March 2002, whereas this initiative had been
widely accepted as offering a viable bases and a historic
opportunity for a comprehensive peace and lasting global
solution to the conflict in the region.
103. The
Assistant Secretary General recalled the re-occupation of
Palestinian territories by Israeli forces and the various
reactions by the International Community to the Israeli
military incursions in Palestine both at the level of the
United Nations, the League of Arab States, the Islamic
Conference Organisation, the European Union, and also at
the level of the OAU.
104. On the
situation in the Middle East, the Assistant Secretary
General stated that the events in Palestine had also
impacted negatively on the peace process, leading to
heightened tension and violence in the Region.
105.
Invited by Council to take the floor, Mr. Farouk Kaddoumi,
the Foreign Affairs Minister of the State of Palestine,
first commended the Secretary General for his detailed
report whose conclusions were, in his view, very vital and
deserved particular attention.
106. He
then explained that the September 2001 events in the
United States, although condemned by President Yasser
Arafat, had provided the Israeli Prime Minister with a
pretext to perpetrate large scale attacks against the
Palestinian people, which, to date, had claimed 2229 lives
with 7000 wounded including 464 children and 7540
detainees 980 of whom were children. He further said that
Israel had divided the occupied territories into 227
mini-districts. He informed Council that 7% of the
population in Gaza strip lived below poverty level due to
the blockade imposed by the Israeli army, adding that
Israel’s real aim was the physical elimination of
President Yasser Arafat, and the extermination of the
Palestinian people.
107. Mr
Kaddoumi further informed Council that all President
Yasser Arafat’s attempts at bringing Israeli occupation
to an end had been undermined by the Israeli Prime
Minister whose arrogance has gone as far as refusing the
sending of a United Nations Fact Finding Mission to
Palestine. He denounced the unacceptable interference of
President George W. Bush who, in his recent statement on
the Palestinian problem, asked the Palestinian people to
elect new leaders.
108. He
commended the United Nations Secretary General’s
continued efforts to find a solution to the Palestinian
problem in accordance with the various United Nations
Security Council Resolutions.
109. Mr.
Kaddoumi lastly thanked OAU Member States, individually
and collectively, for their unflagging support to the
Peace Process in the Middle East and in Palestine, and
expressed the hope that the African Union Member States
would do the same.
110. Taking
the floor, Mr. Papa Louis Fall, the Permanent
Representative of the Republic of Senegal to the United
Nations and Chairman of the Committee for the exercise of
the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people, recalled
the fact that 21 long and painful months had gone by since
the International Community witnessed, helplessly or
indifferently, the resumption of Israeli aggression
against the Palestinians, an aggression which had
continued to show hatred, death and desolation, under the
convenient pretext of repression of terrorism, coupled
with the sealing off of Palestinian territories, as well
as economic and financial blockade. Having been
considerably damaged and now more or less in ruins,
Palestinian infrastructure no longer functioned,
populations whose dignity had been wounded, have no other
alternative but to rise in anger, sometimes in a most
questionable way in reaction to acts of violence,
provocation, terror and the action of Israeli bulldozers.
111. All
these acts had been condemned by the United Nations
Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of
the Palestinian Peoples. The Committee also expressed its
frustration and consternation over the failure of the
Security Council to enforce its own decisions, one
instance of which was the unfortunate episode whereby the
Fact-Finding Mission on the tragic events in Jenin was
disbanded due to the refusal of Israel to cooperate with
the United Nations.
112.
Concluding, Ambassador Papa Louis Fall urged the parties,
particularly Israel, to comply with the United Nations
Resolutions, Security Council Resolutions especially
Resolutions 242, 338 and 1397, as well as the 1949 Geneva
Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Times of War
and accept the need for international protection according
to appropriate modalities.
113.
Several delegations took the floor to condemn the barbaric
Israeli acts aimed at physically eliminating Yasser Arafat
and returning the Palestinian people to the level of
Bantustans, and even slavery. They stressed that the
Question of Palestine remained the heart of the Middle
East problem, where peace could not be restored as long as
the question remained unresolved. The delegations also
pointed out that it was high time Africa showed more
active solidarity with the Palestinian people through an
initiative, based on United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1397.
114. The
delegations which took the floor stated that Council
should mandate its Chairman to get involved in the
different initiatives on behalf of the Organisation. They
hailed the visit of Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, to
Palestine within the framework of and as leader of the
Non-Aligned Countries Mission, during one of the most
trying moments in the history of Palestine.
115. Most
of the delegations expressed concern on the interference
of the United States of America in the internal affairs of
Palestine in calling for the election of new leaders. The
delegations maintained that President Yasser Arafat is the
President of the Palestinian National Authority
democratically elected by the Palestinian People and that
the decision to choose freely their leadership should be
left to the people of Palestine.
116. They
stressed the need for the Council to send a message of
solidarity to President Yasser Arafat and asked the
Secretariat to draft that message. The same delegations
also invited the Council, while bearing in mind different
existing initiatives, to take new initiatives to provide
the Chairman with a base for more effective involvement of
the Organisation in the Peace Process in Palestine.
117.
Lastly, delegations were in favour of the idea of holding
a Special Session of the Security Council on Palestine
which should be pursued, as well as the possibility of a
group of African Heads of State going to Palestine and
Israel in order to move the Peace Process forward.
Similarly, they were of the opinion that the possibility
of convening a Special Session of the United Nations
General Assembly could be looked into, in the event that
the Security Council was unable to meet.
118. In
conclusion, the Chairman of the Council summed up the
discussion as follows:
- The Council must
reaffirm African solidarity towards the Palestinian
people;
- The Council must
reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to an
independent State;
- The Council must urge
both parties to show restraint and made every effort
to resume negotiations aimed at achieving a just and
lasting peace in the Middle East;
- The OAU should be
further involved in finding a solution to the
Palestinian problem with the help of a Committee set
up for this purpose;
- The OAU should, like
the different initiatives, set up a ministerial
structure which would be presided over by the
Chairman of the Council;
- The OAU should set up
a Select Committee on this issue, consisting of two
(2) countries drawn from each region;
- The Council should
advise Heads of State to look into ways and means to
further involve themselves in the Palestinian issue.
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IV. ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL MATTERS
1.
Report
of the Secretary General on the Implementation of the
Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community:
a) Report by the General
Secretariat - Doc.
CM/2259(LXXVI) - a
119. In
presenting the report of the Secretary General on social
and economic issues, the Assistant Secretary General in
charge of Community Affairs Department informed the
Council that under the umbrella item on the Implementation
of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic
Communities, there were sub items relating to the WTO,
ACP-EU negotiations under the Cotonou Agreement, the
development of telecommunications industries, plans of
action on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other related infectious
diseases, and education. As the sub-items had already been
examined by the Committee of Ambassadors and Other
Plenipotentiaries, the Assistant Secretary General
concentrated on presenting:
- Report of activities
of the Secretary General on the Implementation of
the Treaty Establishing the African Economic
Community (Doc. CM/2259 (LXXVI) – a; and
- Report on External
Support to the Programme of Integration in the
Continent (Doc. CM/2259 (LXXVI) – c.
120. The
attention of Council was drawn to summary reports on a
number of subjects relating to African integration and
development; including the report on the 15th
Session of the Conference of African Ministers of
Industry, the reports on the 4th General
Assembly of the African Population Commission and on the
Ministerial Conference on Employment and Poverty
Alleviation which was combined with the 25th
Session of the OAU Labour and Social Affairs Commission;
the reports on the 1st OAU Ministerial
Conference on Drugs and on the African Convention on the
Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources as well as
the launching of Afro-Arab Cultural Institute, the 8th
All-Africa Trade Fair held in Cairo, and OAU-BADEA
cooperation.
121.
Regarding the reports on the activities of the Regional
Economic Communities, the Assistant Secretary General
informed the Council that the representatives of the RECs
would be making their respective presentations to the
Council.
122. On the
side of the General Secretariat, the activities undertaken
consisted mainly of working with the RECs on issues
relating to the launch of the African Union, and the
future relations between the Union and RECs. Council was
informed of the general briefing provided to the COMESA
Summit by the Secretariat, on the transition process in
May 2002 in Addis Ababa. The outcome of the meeting
between the OAU and RECs held in June 2002 in Addis Ababa,
on the future relations between the AU and RECS was also
brought to the attention of Council. The Assistant
Secretary General then informed Council of a planned
meeting in Durban, between the Secretary General and the
Chief Executives of RECs, on the margins of the OAU
Summit.
123.
Presenting the sub-item on External Support to the
Programme of integration, the Assistant Secretary General
informed Council of assistance provide by the African
Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) for the establishment
of a Policy Analysis Support Unit (PASU) in the OAU, and
by the UNDP which had financed an OAU/RECs joint mission
to NAFTA and ASEAN. The Assistant Secretary General then
appealed to Africa’s cooperating partners to increase
their assistance to the continent’s integration effort
and urged all Member States to play their own part in
financing economic integration. In that regard, he called
on the few remaining countries to ratify or accede to the
AEC Treaty.
124.
Following the presentation, the representatives of RECs
were given the floor to report on their activities.
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b)
Report by the Secretariats of the RECs - CM/2259(LXXVI)
- b
i.
Economic Community
of the Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
125. The
Secretary General of the Community of Sahelo-Saharan
States (CEN-SAD), Dr. Mohamed Al-Madani AL-AZHARI
presented to Council, an Executive Summary of activities
carried out by CEN-SAD, since the 37th Ordinary
Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government
held in Lusaka in July 2001. The CEN-SAD Secretary General
noted that the community initiative and activities so far
carried out were in keeping with the Abuja Treaty of 3
June 1991, the 4 February 1998 Treaty establishing CEN-SAD
and the Constitutive Act of the African Union.
Furthermore, he noted that the activities carried out fell
under the following four major areas, namely:
- PEACE AND SECURITY
In this
context and under the direction of the Distinguished
Mediator of CEN-SAD, the Guide of the El Fatah
Revolution, Colonel Muammer El Gaddafi, actions were
undertaken by CEN-SAD to promote peace through
dialogue especially in Chad, the Central African
Republic, Somalia, The Sudan and Ethiopia/Eritrea.
- RURAL DEVELOPMENT,
WATER AND ENVIRONMENT
The
Secretary General of CEN-SAD underscored the fact that
these were priority issues and that a strategic
partnership had therefore been entered into with the
FAO, OSS and CILSS. He informed Council that the Rural
Development Ministers of the 18 Member countries of
CEN-SAD had met in Khartoum in October 2001 and
identified ways and means of protecting and
rehabilitating the vegetation and the environment. The
Secretary General of CEN-SAD then informed Council
that the Member States of the Community planned to
establish a common market for basic agricultural
commodities in the CEN-SAD area to more effectively
combat food insecurity and backstop the projects
retained in the Special Food Security Programme (SFSP-CENSAD
FAO).
- TRADE AND INVESTMENT
The
Secretary General of CEN-SAD informed Council of the
launch of a study on the ways and means to establish a
CEN-SAD free trade area; and to this end, Customs,
Trade and Chambers of Commerce Directors would meet in
Tripoli in August 2002 to examine the issue and come
up with interim measures.
- Institutional support
towards the establishment of the African Union
The
Secretary General informed Council that the CEN-SAD
General Secretariat was fully prepared to lend its
institutional support to the African Union in keeping
with the directives of its decision-making bodies.
126.
Lastly, the CEN-SAD Secretary General stated that CEN-SAD
remained open to partnership with all organizations that
shared its aims and objectives.
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ii. Common Market of
Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
127.
The Secretary General of COMESA, Mr. Erastus O.
Mwencha gave the genesis of his Organisation. COMESA
was established in December 1981 as Preferential Trade
Area (PTA) and was transformed into the Common Market
for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in December
1994. Mr. Mwencha outlined COMESA’s progress in
market integration, infrastructure development,
investment promotion and on peace and security. In
this regard, he recalled the launching in October 2000
of COMESA Free Trade Area. The FTA has resulted in
noticeable shift of trade from third countries in
favour of COMESA and that more could be achieved with
efficient and cost effective infrastructure to
facilitate movement of goods and services.
128.
Mr. Mwencha informed Council that COMESA’s next
milestone is the establishment of a Common External
Tariff (CET) by 2004. He also outlined steps taken by
COMESA in trade facilitation through the adoption of
common instruments. He further elaborated on the
monetary and financial instruments such as the trade
and development bank, the clearing house and the
African Trade Insurance Agency which COMESA had
established to support integration.
129.
The African Trade Insurance Agency was designed to
cover political risks and address the issue of
negative perceptions which adversely affected
investment into Africa. ATI was open to all other
countries in the continent and this project was
submitted for promotion under NEPAD.
130.
Lastly, Mr. Mwencha briefed Council on the efforts
deployed by COMESA in the area of conflict prevention
and promotion of peace.
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iii. Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS)
131.
Taking the floor, the Executive Secretary of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), H.
E. Mohamed Ibn CHAMBAS, briefed Council on the
coordination measures taken by his Community to
implement NEPAD and the vital projects on which ECOWAS
was currently focusing attention.
132. He
also recalled programmes on trade liberalization and
the projected creation of the single ECOWAS Monetary
Zone in 2004. The zone, he explained, would come about
as a result of the merging of the CFA Zone and a
second zone established by other countries of the
region. He also referred to the measures taken by his
Community to overcome the challenges facing some
countries of the region in the area of energy.
133. On
peace and security, he recalled the ECOWAS mechanism
put in place for the purpose, as well as decisions
taken by the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS
to guarantee good governance and democracy, combat
corruption and prevent unconstitutional changes.
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iv. Economic Community of
Central African States (ECCAS)
134. The
Assistant Secretary General of ECCAS, Ambassador Nelson
Cosme, briefed Council on the activities of his
Organization, highlighting the decisions taken during the
10th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads
of State and Government of ECCAS held in Malabo on 17 June
2002. These decisions concerned:
- the free movement
within the Community of some categories of nationals
of Members States, particularly the adoption of the
identification card and the free movement card and
as well as the establishment of corridors at
airports, ports and some border posts;
- the introduction of a
self-financing mechanism and a community integration
levy based on the customs value of imports from
third countries;
- food security and the
adoption of a Regional Food Security Programme (PRSA);
- the establishment of a
Central African Network of Parliamentarians ahead of
the Sub-Regional Parliament and the adoption of a
protocol in this respect;
- the reaction of a
Central African Peace and Security Council (COPAX)
and the adoption of the Statutes of the Organs of
this mechanism (FOMAC, MARAC, CDS);
- the establishment of
an ECCAS free trade area effective from the year
2004;
- the General
Secretariat of ECCAS mandated to monitor NEPAD
activities.
135. The
Assistant Secretary General informed Council of the return
of the Republic of Rwanda to ECCAS after a few years of
absence.
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v.
Inter-Governmental
Authority for Development (IGAD)
136. The
IGAD Director of Economic Affairs provided general
information on his Organisation stating that IGAD, which
had was established to combat desertification and drought,
has become a Forum which for discussing all issues of the
sub-region to meet the challenge of self-sufficiency and
establish cooperation for sustainable development.
137. For
that purpose six priority fields have been defined for the
promotion of integration.
138. The
IGAD Secretariat, he said, has established a department
dealing with Conflict Resolution, and a section for gender
issues. Concluding, the IGAD representative called on the
Council to allocate more to the discussion of programmes
of the Regional Economic Communities.
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vi.
SADC
139. The
Report on SADC integration activities was presented by the
Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr. Albert M. Muchanga. He
highlighted the elements of the restructuring programme
started in March 2001, that had moved the region from
decentralization to centralization of Secretariat
activities. In that regard, he stated that the previously
twenty-one decentralized sectors had been regrouped under
four clusters that form the basis of the four programme
directorates of the Secretariat.
140. He
added that SADC National Committees (NCs) responsible for
programme generation and implementation at the national
level had been established to replace the abolished
sectors, and underlined that membership in the NCs was
open to governments, employers and workers’
organizations, the private sector, parliamentarians and
NGOs. He further indicated that a Regional Indicative
Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) that would define
projects, programmes, speed and sequencing of the regional
integration process in the region and address issues of
capacity building and equity, was under preparation.
141. He
then enumerated progress in integration made in areas such
as macro-economic policy convergence, trade, private
sector involvement, gender mainstreaming, responses to
food crisis, defense and security. He briefed the meeting
about the signature of twenty protocols which, when
ratified, would align domestic policies of Member States
with regional policies, and enhance integration. He
further highlighted inter-agency collaboration activities
with the OAU, ECA, COMESA, the NEPAD Steering Committee.
He concluded by indicating that SADC had contributed to
the development of criteria for the hosting of some AU
institutions and appealed to the Council to devote more
time to the discussion of issues of socio-economic
development and regional integration.
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c) External Support
to the Programme of Integration in
the Continent - Doc.
CM/2259(LXXVI) - c
142. In
introducing this item, the Assistant Secretary General in
charge of the Community Affairs Department underscored the
importance of accelerating the pace of regional
integration for the achievement of the objectives of
African Union. He informed Council about the assistance
which the OAU and the RECs had received from two
development partners – the African Capacity Building
Foundation (ACBF) and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) – in the implementation of regional
integration programmes and policies. To ensure that Africa
does not send the wrong signals to development partners
regarding its commitment to regional integration, the
Assistant Secretary General urged Member States that had
not yet ratified the Treaty Establishing the African
Economic Community to do so without further delay.
Africa/Europe Summit
143. The
Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Agubuzu, who
presented the report of the General Secretariat CM/2259 (LXXVI)
recalled the addendum to the Introductory Note of the
Secretary General’s report which referred to the offer
by Portugal to host the Second Africa-Europe Summit in
Lisbon in April 2003. Council raised no objection with
regard to Africa’s participation in the above Summit.
144. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso took the floor
to provide additional information on the Second
Africa-Europe Ministerial Conference scheduled for
November 2002 in Ouagadougou. He stated that the meeting
of the Bi-regional Group which was due to hold prior to
this Second Conference would now take place in September
after the conference in Johannesburg on sustainable
Development. He further stated that the Conference in
Ouagadougou would focus on issues pertaining to debt and
cultural goods as well as on other important matters
particularly NEPAD, in the light of the results obtained
at the G8 Summit, organised transboundary crimes and
trafficking in women and children.
145. In the
discussions that followed the presentations by the
Assistant Secretary General, and the Chief Executive of
the RECs, several delegations stressed the need to accord
priority to the issue of regional integration and for the
Member States to commit resources to the process. The need
to strengthen relationship with development partners to
get more resources for the promotion of African regional
integration was also highlighted.
146. They
also stressed the need to ratify the Treaty Establishing
the African Economic Community and speed up the economic
integration process by adopting a common stand on trade
and investment as well as a single system of rules of
origin and by harmonising customs standards.
147. In his
intervention, the Minister of Trade of South Africa
commended the RECs on the progress made at the level of
their various regions, and advised that it was time to
start on some continent-wide initiative, especially in the
area of trade. In that regard, he called for a more
effective directory of exports and a common system of
Rules of Origin. He further called for projects on common
standards to be considered at the continental level, as
well as for the harmonization of customs capacity and
documentation, as those four areas constituted the basis
to speed up trade.
148.
Council accepted Burkina Faso’s offer and stressed that
the EU should be effectively represented at Ministerial
level at the Ouagadougou Conference and that both parties
should have a strong representation at Ministerial level
at that meeting. It also called on the Secretariat to
contact the EU side with a view to ensuring that the EU
States are represented by Ministers.
149.
Following the consideration of this item, Council:
- requested Member
States to sign and/or ratify the Treaty establishing
the African Economic Community if they had not yet
done so;
- decided to devote more
time to economic integration issues during future
meetings;
- requested the
Secretariat to take the necessary steps to prepare
the Statutes of the African Academy of Languages;
- requested the General
Secretariat and RECs to accord priority to
continental integration initiatives that would speed
up the integration process;
- identified the
following areas of priority:
- preparation of a
directory of exporters in Africa;
-
harmonization of the Rules of origins of the various
regions;
- harmonization of
standards between and within RECs;
- capacity building
in the area of Customs and harmonization of
Customs documents.
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2. Report of the
Secretary General on the Outcome of the 15th
Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Industry
(CAMI-15) - CM/2260(LXXVI)
150. The
Assistant Secretary General for Community Affairs
presented the Report of the 15th Ordinary
Session of the African Ministers of Industry which took
place from 29 to 30 October 2001 at Yaounde, Cameroon. He
drew the attention of Council to the outcome of the
meeting, with particular reference to the necessity for
the continued existence of the CAMI, while ensuring
increased participation of the private sector in the
industrialization process in Africa. He invited all the
Member States, as well as the Regional Economic
Communities and other stakeholders in Africa’s
industrialization process to take all the necessary
measures to implement the adopted resolutions.
151.
Council took note of the Report and endorsed the
recommendations contained therein.
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3.
Report
of the Secretary General on the 4th General Assembly of the African Population Commission
-
CM/2261(LXXVI)
152. The
report was introduced by the Assistant Secretary General
in charge of the Community Affairs Department who recalled
the establishment of the African Population Commission (APC)
in 1994, and thereafter focused on the main population
issues addressed by the 4th General Assembly of
the APC, based on the theme "Mobilising Political
Commitment for National Actions to address population
activities within the framework of the African
Union". He concluded by expressing appreciation to
the UNFPA for its continued support to the OAU.
153. In the
ensuing discussions, the Minister of Senegal reminded the
meeting about the Lusaka Decision on Migration which had
recommended to work with IOM to identify programmes on the
matter. He called on Member States to implement the
decision.
154. The
Council expressed appreciation for the presentation, took
note of the report and approved the recommendations
contained therein.
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4. Report of the
Secretary General on the 25th Session of the
OAU Labour and Social Affairs Commission and on the
Ministerial Conference on Employment and Poverty Alleviation
in Africa - CM/2262(LXXVI)
155.
Addressing the Council on this item, the Director General
of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Mr. Juan
Somavia, thanked the OAU Secretariat for inviting him to
the meeting and stated that Africa’s development was the
challenge of the twenty-first century and, in particular,
of the African Union. He stressed that a change of
approach and attitude, as well as providing jobs to
everybody was fundamental to achieve development in the
continent. He highlighted that the ILO agenda was to
promote decent work in every Member State, namely,
employment promotion, social protection, fundamental
principles and rights at work and social dialogue.
156. To
take up this challenge, the Director General of ILO urged
Africa, when translating the vision encapsulated in the
Constitutive Act of the African Union into concrete
regional strategies and programmes, to put employment as
an objective in itself, and not as a by-product of
macroeconomic policies. He also proposed that the delivery
of a steadily increasing number of decent jobs should be
one of the key performance indicators of the future
success of the African Union and other initiatives
including the NEPAD.
157. He
underscored that the ILO has had a long history of
beneficial collaboration with the OAU and the Regional
Economic Communities (RECs). He also emphasized that the
ILO was the only tripartite UN institution which promotes
social dialogue as a key instrument for development.
158.
Turning to globalization, he noted that its failure was
due to the fact that it did not provide enough jobs to the
increasing labour force worldwide. He referred to the
outcome of the 25th Session of the OAU Labour
and Social Affairs Commission held in Ouagadougou which
had focused mainly on employment promotion and poverty
alleviation. He commended the Government of Burkina Faso
and in particular, President Blaise Compaore for his
support and commitment, and the OAU Secretary General Mr.
Amara Essy for the holding of the conference.
159. Mr.
Somavia then briefed Council on some key programmes being
implemented by the ILO, on the Impact of HIV/AIDS at the
Workplace, the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child
Labour, Crisis and Post Conflict Reconstruction as well as
on the activities of the World Commission on Social
Dimension of Globalisation recently established by the ILO
under the co-chairmanship of President Mkapa of the United
Republic of Tanzania and President Halonen of Finland.
160. The
Assistant Secretary General in charge of Community Affairs
Department then recommended to Council to endorse the
report for onward transmission to the Heads of State and
Government.
161. In the
debate that ensued, the Head of delegation of Burkina Faso
congratulated the Director General of the ILO for his
statement. He recalled the decision taken in Lusaka in
July 2001 to hold a Ministerial Meeting on Employment
Promotion and Poverty Reduction, in conjunction with the
25th Session of the OAU Labour and Social
Affairs Commission. He commended the uniqueness of
tripartism which existed in Africa and was appreciative of
the fact that during the meeting in Burkina Faso, the
workers, the Employers and all stakeholders were coherent
in their endeavour to find strategies to reduce poverty,
promote social dialogue in the continent. He urged Council
to recommend that the Labour and Social Affairs Commission
be retained in the structure of the African Union.
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5. Report
of the Secretary General on the OAU Ministerial Conference
on Drug Control in Africa CM/2263(LXXVI)
162. In
presenting this agenda item, the Assistant Secretary
General in charge of the Community Affairs Department
recalled the magnitude of the socio-economic consequence
of illicit drug trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs
and psychotropic substances in Africa, as emphasized by
Council in Lusaka. The Council, had, in Lusaka, mandated
the Secretariat to organize the First OAU Ministerial
Conference on Drug Control in Africa.
163. It was
within that context, that the OAU, in collaboration with
the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP)
had organized the First OAU Ministerial Conference on Drug
Control in Africa, in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire, 6 to
11 May 2002.
164. The
Assistant Secretary General then informed Council that the
Conference had addressed a message to the UN General
Assembly Special Session on Children, requesting the
Assembly to accord priority to the measures designed to
shield and protect children from the influence of drugs
and other narcotic and psychotropic substances.
165. He
concluded his presentation by informing Council that the
OAU/UNDCP Joint Project would end in July 2002, and that
Council had in Lusaka approved the setting up of a Drug
Control and Crime Prevention Unit within the African Union
(AU).
166. The
Assistant Secretary General then recommended that for
continuity of the drug control programme in OAU/AU,
Council could direct the Secretariat to set up an Interim
Drug Control and Crime Prevention Unit that would be
manned by the current International Expert on Drug
Control.
167. In the
ensuing discussion, the Foreign Minister of Nigeria,
recalled that the Lusaka Summit of 2001, discussed the
difficulties in the drug control programme in the OAU, and
that the OAU/UNDCP Drug Control Programme was coming to an
end then, without having achieved most of its objectives.
Therefore, Council had appealed to the UNDCP for an
extension of one year in order to enable the OAU to ensure
that the programme’s objectives were realized and a work
programme developed for the OAU with appropriate
institutional support. He expressed appreciation to the
UNDCP for the one year extension, and commended the OAU
Secretariat for organizing a very successful Ministerial
Conference; and for its efforts at raising awareness on
the menace posed by drugs to the future of Africa. He also
expressed its appreciation to the Government of Cote d’Ivoire
for hosting the Conference. He also paid tribute to the
UNDCP, the Organization of American States (OAS), the
Governments of Britain, Germany, Italy and Sweden for the
financial and moral support which had ensured the success
of the Ministerial Conference.
168.
Council was then urged to endorse all the recommendations
submitted to it by the Yamoussoukro Conference which
included a review and update of the OAU Plan of Action on
Drug Control; a Common African Position for the
Ministerial Segment of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
to be held in Vienna, Austria in April 2003, and the
dedication of the All Africa Games to be held in 2003 in
Abuja, Nigeria with the theme "SPORTING AGAINST DRUG
ABUSE IN AFRICA" to the fight against drug abuse.
169. In
conclusion, the Nigerian Foreign Minister then stressed
the need for the OAU/AU to provide funds within its budget
for the project, and the availability of properly trained
staff to handle drug issues as the fundamental
requirements for the sustenance of the programme.
170. He
paid tribute to the International Expert on Drug Control,
who had been seconded by the Government of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. The outcome of the Ministerial
Conference, he continued, was a testimony to her efforts,
as drug control issue has been firmly placed on Africa’s
agenda. He then called for a properly worked out Decision
or Declaration by Council, to reflect the issues he had
raised.
171. The
Foreign Minister of Kenya, while supporting the proposals
made by Nigeria, recommended that for the sustenance of
the drug control programme, the AU should create the Drug
Control and Crime Prevention Unit and stressed the need
for staff training on drug control.
172.
Council took note of the report and approved the
recommendations.
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6. a)
African
Convention on the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources - CM/2265 (LXXVI)
b) African Process
for the Development and Protection
of the Marine and Coastal Environment
(Proposed by the Federal Republic
of Nigeria) –
Doc.
CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.2
c)
Proclamation
of an African Day of Environment (Proposed
by the Great Socialist People’s Libyan
Arab Jamahiriya) - Doc. CM/2264(LXXVI)
Add.3
173. In
introducing the item, the Assistant Secretary General in
charge of the Community Affairs Department, gave the
rationale behind the request for the revision of the
Algiers Convention. He stressed that the revision had
taken into consideration the relevant provisions of the
recent OAU policy documents, as well as the current
international environmental, in particular conventions on
natural resources. He further indicated that the revision
had also taken into account current issues in formulating
multilateral conventions and modern concepts and practices
for management of natural resources. He informed the
meeting that the revised Convention would allow Parties to
cooperate in the management of transboundary resources in
Africa, and to simultaneously discharge their
international obligations with respect to other
international conventions that they might be Parties to.
He concluded by urging Council to recommend the report for
adoption by the Summit, so that it could be submitted for
signature in Johannesburg in September 2002, during the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
174. During
deliberations on that item, delegations informed the
Council that the Convention would be examined by their
national legal experts, in order to ensure its
compatibility with their national legislation, and
therefore recommended suspension of a decision on the
matter pending more clarification from their experts.
Council was then reminded by the Secretariat, that the
forthcoming WSSD was being held in Africa, because the
Continent had suffered more serious than others from
environmental problems, and that it would not be wise for
Africa not to present the revised Convention during that
Summit. Council finally recommended that Member States
should examine the draft Convention as soon as possible
and send their comments to the Secretariat to enable it to
finalize the draft Convention, as soon as possible, and
send their comments to the Secretariat to enable it to
finalize the draft Convention for submission to WSSD.
175. The
delegation of Nigeria then introduced a related item on an
African Process for the Development and Protection of the
Marine and Coastal Environment, which had been submitted
under Items Proposed by Member States. The delegation
recalled that Nigeria, as Chairman of the Committee on
Environment, had raised the issue of Africa’s
contribution to the WSSD, at the Lusaka Summit. In that
regard, a preparatory meeting under the auspices of
President Olusegun Obasanjo had been held from 17 to 19
June 2002 in Abuja where the condition of marine and
coastal environment was identified as a major constraint
to sustainable development.
176. The
Nigerian delegation further recalled that the initiative
of July 1998 in Maputo and the Cape Town Conference of
December 1998 had identified the causes of coastal
degradation as well as proposed recommendations to address
them. It added that, at the Abuja meeting, five themes had
been identified and a draft Resolution formulated, built
on the fact that sustainable development was highly
dependent on the proper management of natural resources.
177. The
meeting was then informed that the Process was highly
supported by international partners as a means to
alleviate poverty. Finally, the delegation tabled a draft
decision to be endorsed by Heads of State and Government
on the matter.
178. In the
ensuing discussion, Council recognized the utmost
importance of the issue and proposed to enlarge the
membership of the Committee in order to give the
opportunity to all interested Member States to contribute
to the discussion. It then amended paragraph two of the
draft decision to read as follows: "Also invites all
African countries to support and actively participate in
the Africa Process for the development of the coastal and
marine environment, through, inter-alia, regional and
sub-regional project proposals under the five identified
themes", and agreed to its submission to the Assembly
of Heads of State and Government for endorsement.
179.
Another related item, namely the Proclamation of an
African Day of Environment, was then introduced by the
delegation of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya. The delegation gave some background
information on the rationale behind the proposal,
including the proliferation of natural resources on the
Continent, variety of climate and the pillage of African
forests for timber by former colonialists. It then
proposed the proclamation of the Third of March of each
year, as an African Day of Environment. It underscored the
fact that the proposal bore no budgetary implications for
the Organization, but would contribute to raising the
awareness of the African population of the importance of
environment. To mark the event, it suggested that
countries could organize seminars and workshops, as well
as excursions, to enable citizens to be acquainted with
the natural reserves and environmental wealth of their
respective countries.
180.
Council supported fully the proposal of proclaiming March
3 of every year African Day of Environment and contributed
ideas on its celebration. It took note of the reservations
by Malawi as March 3 is observed as Heroes’ Day in
Malawi.
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V.
CONSIDERATION
OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF AMBASSADORS AND OTHER
PLENIPOTENTIARIES
181. The
Report was presented by Mr. Mame Balla Sy, Ambassador of
the Republic of Senegal to Ethiopia, and Chairman of the
15th Ordinary Session of the Committee of
Ambassadors and Other Plenipotentiaries. Ambassador Mame
Sy informed Council that the meeting of Ambassadors took
place in a climate of tolerance and serenity marked by the
common determination of the Permanent Representatives to
keep in line with the move towards the Union. He recalled
the following main points of the Report:
- the Committee of
Ambassadors noted with serious concern the financial
situation of the Organisation with regard to arrears
of contributions and proposed that Council appeal to
Member States with outstanding contributions to
urgently fulfill their obligations in order to provide
the African Union with the necessary means for
implementation of its programmes;
- concerning the scale of
assessment, the Committee was faced with a complex
issue namely, a proposal to reduce the ceiling of
contributions for some States and increase the lower
limit for others, and recommended that the matter be
referred to Council to authorize experts appointed by
Member States to continue in their search for an
appropriate solution;
- with regard to the
Review of Conditions of Services of current OAU Staff,
Council was informed that the study conducted by the
Secretariat on the issue as recommended in March 2002,
had not been submitted in time to the Committee for
consideration. Furthermore, the study contained
discrepancies which did not allow the Ambassadors to
make informed recommendations to Council on the
request by the Secretariat for a 69.8% salary increase
in compliance with the conclusions of the study.
Consequently, since the report was not satisfactory to
the Committee, on the basis of the compromise obtained
which takes due account of the difficult working
conditions of OAU staff, the Ambassadors recommended
that Council adopt a nominal provisional increase of
15% across the board, pending the finalization of the
study and the adoption of the new structures of the
Commission.
- Concerning social and
economic matters, Ambassador Mame Sy drew the
attention of Council to discussions on pandemics such
as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and Tse-Tse fly
which wreck havoc on the continent.
182.
Touching on legal issues, the Report highlighted the
status of ratification of some legal instruments, notably
the Protocol on the Pan-African Parliament. Council was
informed that the Protocol had been signed by twenty one
(21) countries and that out of the 27 ratifications
necessary to ensure the entry into force of the Protocol,
only Four (4) countries, namely Botswana, Mali, Sahrawi
Arab Democratic Republic and South Africa had ratified it.
183.
Council was also informed that the States which had not
ratified the Constitutive Act were legally not Members.
However, the recommendation of the Committee was that
account be taken of the spirit of the African Union so as
to enable all States invited to attend the inaugural
Assembly. At the same time, the Committee had called on
those States concerned to accelerate the ratification
process.
184. The
Chairman of the Committee concluded by informing Council
of the message of encouragement issued to the "Africa
Helps Africa" Association, an African initiative to
promote mutual financing and solidarity which had already
made its mark in certain parts of the Continent and
recommended that Council encourage this endeavour and
authorize specific resource mobilization activities to
support this initiative.
185.
Following a brief exchange of views on the report and on
the financial implications of the proposal to increase
salaries of OAU staff as well as the availability of
funds, Council adopted the Report without amendments and
requested the Secretary General to ensure scrupulous
implementation of the recommendation for a 15% nominal
provisional salary increase.
186.
Following the footsteps of the Committee of Ambassadors,
Council paid tribute to the humanitarian organization
"Africa Assists Africa" (AAA) for its laudable
activities. The Senegalese Foreign Minister thanked
Council for its commendations and encouragement for the
AAA, headquartered in Dakar and proposed fund-raising
activities such as galas and Inter-African football
tournaments to finance the Organization.
187.
Several delegations supported this proposal.
188.
Finally, Council launched an appeal to States which had
not yet ratified the Protocol on the Pan African
Parliament to do so as soon as possible in order to
accelerate the process of the African Union.
189.
Attention of Council was drawn to the paragraph of the
report dealing with the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification and the need for Africa to call for
international financial mechanism for its implementation,
being the continent most affected by drought and
desertification. Council agreed that Africa should push
for the creation of such a financing facility for the
UNCCD at the forth coming World Summit on Sustainable
Development, scheduled for September 2002 in South Africa.
In addition, it was agreed that the use of the resources
of the Global Environmental Fund for the same purpose
should be pursued at the Conference.
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VI. ITEMS
PROPOSED BY MEMBER STATES
1. Development
of Human Resources for Health in Africa
(Proposed by the
Republic of Congo)
- CM/2264(LXXVI)Add.1
190. The
Report on Development of Human Resources for Health in
Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Action, was
introduced by Honourable Rodolphe Adada, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Congo, who called on
the Council to consider the problem of brain drain,
whereby African trained professionals had fled the
continent to practise abroad. He underlined that the
situation was currently acute, especially in the health
sector, in which the continent was tackling the AIDS
pandemic and other emergencies. The Minister noted that,
while abroad, African professionals acquire knowledge and
experience which could be advantageous to their countries
of origin. He added that the Report was based on the
Strategy of the WHO Africa Regional Office. He concluded
with a proposal that year 2004 be declared the year for
Development of Human Resources for Health in Africa.
191. Prior
to opening the floor for discussion, the Chairperson of
the Session reiterated the seriousness of the matter which
had been discussed in the past, but not dealt with
effectively. She noted that projections had indicated that
brain drain would be worse in future, unless Africa
intervened early.
192. In the
ensuing discussion, the Council noted the importance of
the topic and congratulated the Republic of Congo for
introducing it. Council reiterated the importance of
health in the life of the individual and general economic
development. It then recalled the Migration for
Development in Africa (MIDA) Programme which had been
introduced to the 2001 OAU Summit by the IOM
(International Organisation for Migration) stressing its
relevance as a channel for professionals to serve their
countries of origin. Council was reminded that many
professionals were willing to return home provided the
conditions were attractive and comparable.
193. It was
emphasized that Human Resources Development (HRD) was very
relevant to development programmes like NEPAD. A number of
delegations outlined the challenges faced and the efforts
that had been undertaken in their countries to develop
infrastructure and human resources, and/or encourage the
return of professionals in the diaspora. Some delegations
briefed the Council on the benefits their countries had
derived from South-South Cooperation, particularly
involving Cuban doctors. They noted, however, that the
problem of brain drain applied to all economic development
sectors and not just health.
194.
Council then adopted the Report and agreed that:
- Efforts be made to
develop human resources in Africa with emphasis on
health.
- 2004 be declared the
Year for Development of Human Resources (for
Health).
- South-South and
North-South Cooperation should be promoted with
focus on human resource development.
- The OAU/AU and the IOM
intensify support for the MIDA Programme.
- The OAU/AU consider
human resources development in the context of NEPAD.
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2.
Implementation
and Universality of the Convention on the Prohibition
Development and Production of Chemical
Weapons - (Proposed by the Republic of the Sudan)
- CM/2264(LXXVI) Add.5
195. This
item was introduced by Dr. Moustafa Osman Ismail, Foreign
Minister of the Sudan. Having recalled the contents of the
Convention, he briefly highlighted the advantages of
membership of the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for African countries, in terms of
assistance for development of scientific and technical
infrastructure of Member States as well as strengthening
capacities for peaceful utilization of chemicals.
196. He
also informed Council that his Government, in cooperation
with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons had organized in Khartoum, from 9 to 11 March
2002, a seminar on the Convention on Chemical Weapons with
a view to strengthening the capacities of African States
Parties to the Convention, to implement this instrument as
well as promote its universality on the continent, where
17 countries have still not signed the Convention. The
Seminar culminated in the adoption by participants of a
number of recommendations concerning, inter-alia, the need
to establish a chemical weapons Free Zone in Africa.
Concluding, the Minister underscored the need for
universalization of the Convention and its effective
implementation in Africa.
197.
Council expressed its support for the recommendations made
by the Minister. In this respect, it was emphasized that
Africa, which had never been involved in the manufacturing
of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical
weapons, should be at the vanguard of efforts aimed at
promoting the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons. It should, however, be pointed out that one
delegation, while reaffirming its support for the United
Nations decisions on the production of chemical weapons
and other weapons of mass destruction, felt that given its
particular situation, it could not endorse the
recommendations that had been formulated.
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3. The Return of the
Pillaged African Monument: The Obelisk of Axum (Proposed
by the Federal Democratic
Republic
of Ethiopia) - CM/2264 (LXXVI) Add.6
198.
The above item was introduced by Mr. Tekeda Alemu,
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia who
recalled that the Obelisk had been carted away in 1937
by the Italian Fascist occupation forces, and
subsequently erected in front of the FAO Headquarters
in Rome.
199.
Since then, repeated initiatives have been undertaken
by Ethiopia and numerous commitments to restitute the
Obelisk, made by Italy. Unfortunately, Italy had never
wanted to honour its commitments. Finding itself
unable to evoke any technical argument, Italy had
resorted to stalling tactics designed to unduly defer
settlement of the issue.
200. As
the efforts deployed by Ethiopia at bilateral level
had proved fruitless, it had taken the decision to
bring the issue to the attention of Council.
201.
Furthermore, Ethiopia had been compelled to seize the
OAU of the matter for another reason: Ethiopia was
inviting the Organization whose most significant
action had been the victorious struggle against
colonialism in all its forms, to wage a final
anti-colonial war, on the eve of its demise.
202.
Lastly, just as it was obvious that the Obelisk had
been stolen from Ethiopia, so it is evident that the
Obelisk is part and parcel of the cultural heritage of
the entire Continent.
203.
All delegations supported the Ethiopian initiative and
stressed the need to preserve Africa’s cultural
heritage.
204.
Council recalled that, at a more global perspective,
the question of restitution of Africa’s cultural
assets illegally exported had been discussed at the
Africa-Europe Conference held in Cairo in April 2000.
The OAU Follow-up Committee had entrusted to Egypt the
preparation of appropriate proposals to constitute the
African position on the matter. Egypt would submit a
study on this matter to the next meeting of the
Bi-Regional Group.
205.
After deliberation, Council expressed unanimous
support for Ethiopia’s initiative.
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4. Consideration of the
on-going process aimed at drafting an additional
Protocol to the Algiers Convention on Terrorism for
the establishment of an operational mechanism
of the said Convention (Proposed by the Republic of
Senegal) - CM/2264 (LXXVI) Add.7
206. This
item was briefly introduced by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Senegal Mr. Cheick Tidiane Gadio who recalled
the initiative taken by President Abdoulaye Wade, to
convene an African Summit in Dakar on 17 October 2002,
following the serious events of 11 September 2001 in the
United States. The said Summit adopted the Dakar
Declaration which called for the effective implementation
of the Algiers Convention of 1999 on the prevention and
combating of terrorism. The Minister indicated that
Senegal had requested that this item be placed on the
agenda so that Council could be informed of its
implementation process.
207. In
addition to this information, the Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs briefed Council on efforts
deployed by the OAU after the Dakar Summit, especially the
Ministerial level meeting of the Central Organ on 11
November 2001 in New York and arrangements made for the
holding in Algiers in June 2002, of a meeting of senior
officials of Member States in sectors specialized in the
combat of terrorism, to consider ways and means of
devising a framework of action and appropriate modalities
for the implementation of the Convention. This included
the possible drafting of an additional Protocol or Plan of
Action. He disclosed that the meeting could not be held as
scheduled because of the necessity to allow for more time
for adequate technical preparations by the Secretariat.
The meeting was therefore postponed to September 2002. In
this regard, the Secretariat was able to mobilize
extra-budgetary resources to cater for two senior
officials per Member State in order to facilitate their
participation in the said meeting.
208. The
Minister Delegate of Foreign Affairs of Algeria in charge
of Africa and Maghreb Affairs also took the floor to
confirm the holding of this meeting in Algiers from 11 to
13 September 2002 and expressed the hope that all Member
States will send qualified experts in sectors specialized
in combating terrorism. Furthermore, he expressed the
willingness of his country, which had paid the heaviest
toll in the fight against terrorism, to place its
experience at the service of the international community
and more especially at the service of Member States. The
Algerian Minister appealed for the speedy ratification of
the Algiers Convention.
209. One
delegation proposed that the Algiers meeting should not
focus only on the experience of African countries but also
on international experience, especially since the funding
sources of terrorism and arms trafficking are controlled
and facilitated in countries outside the Continent, as
already mentioned at meetings of the United Nations, the
European Union and the Mediterranean Forum.
210.
Council took note of all the information provided and once
again appealed for the speedy ratification and effective
implementation of the Algiers Convention. It also urged
Member States to participate massively and at the required
experts’ level in the Algiers meeting with a view to the
operationalization of the Convention.
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DATE AND
VENUE OF THE FIRST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL OF THE UNION
211. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration of the
Republic of Chad, Mr. Mahamat Saleh, presented to Council
his country’s offer to host the First Session of the
Executive Council of the African Union in N’djamena in
February 2003.
212.
Council accepted the offer with pleasure.
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ANY OTHER BUSINESS
213. The
Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mr.
Koffi Panou briefed Council on the programmes and
activities of the Lome – based United Nations Centre for
Peace and Disarmament. He underscored the Centre’s role
in addressing the increasing armed conflicts and the
illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. He
added that although the Centre’s competent services were
being highly sought after by Member States, its financial
resources continued to dwindle owing to delays on the part
of Member States to pay their assessed contributions. The
Minister appealed to Member States to pay their
contributions, and added that his country was offering to
host a Ministerial Meeting to mobilize resources for the
Centre, and to examine the possibility of constituting a
Group of Friends of the Centre to help promote its
activities and mobilize the requisite resources:
214.
Council took note with appreciation of the statement made
by the Togolese Minister, and supported his appeal for
mobilization of resources for the Centre.
215. The
leader of the Tunisian delegation took the floor to inform
Council of President Ben Ali’s initiative in 1998 to
establish a World Solidarity Fund, and gave an account of
the progress achieved in implementing that initiative at
the level of the United Nations System, as well as the
on-going consultations between the OAU and the United
Nations on that subject. Referring to his country’s
experience with a National Solidarity and Poverty
Reduction Fund which helped to effectively reduce poverty
in Tunisian villages, the Minister affirmed that the World
Solidarity Fund would be of immense use to Africa in its
fight against poverty. The Minister proposed that the OAU/AU
Summit continue to support the efforts at enlisting
approval for the United Nations Secretary General’s
report on the Fund whose mechanisms were expected to be
put in place as expeditiously as possible.
216.
Council strongly supported Tunisia’s proposal and
underscored the importance of the operationalization of
the World Solidarity Fund for Poverty Reduction in Africa.
217. The
leader of the Senegalese delegation in turn raised the
issue of the role of women in the edification of the
African Union. He underscored the importance of involving
the African diaspora in the construction of the African
Union; he also recalled the invaluable contributions of
the Founding Fathers, of all those who championed the
cause of Pan-Africanism, whether on the continent or in
the diaspora, and called on Council to pay them a well
deserved tribute.
218.
Lastly, the leader of the Senegalese delegation
highlighted the crucial role that had been played by Col.
Muammar Al-Qaddafi, leader of the Libyan Revolution in the
revival of the African Union project. Several delegations
took the floor to support his declaration.
219.
Council approved the proposals tabled by the Senegalese
delegation regarding the effective involvement of women
and the entire African diaspora in the work of the African
Union.
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REPORT OF THE MINISTERIAL
COMMITTEE ON CANDIDATURES
220. The
Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Candidatures, Mr.
Rodolphe Adada, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Congo, presented to Council the Report of the
Committee which met in two sessions, on 3 and 5 July 2002
to consider all the candidatures submitted by Member
States. The recommendations were submitted to Council for
endorsement.
221.
Council endorsed all the recommendations submitted by the
Committee.
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X. ADOPTION OF THE
DRAFT RAPPORTEUR’S REPORT
222. The
Draft Report was presented by the Rapporteur, Mr. Kolawole
A. Idji, Minister of Foreign Affairs and African
Integration of the Republic of Benin. In his presentation,
Mr. Idji drew Council’s attention to the salient points
of the Draft Report and recalled the main decisions and
recommendations of the present session.
223. In the
ensuing debate, Council adopted its Report with a few
amendments. Council also examined and adopted thirty nine
(39) Draft Decisions which are annexed to the Report. It
also decided to refer some Draft Decisions and
Declarations on which there was no consensus to the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government for decision.
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CLOSING
224. At the
end of the debate, the Chairperson of the 76th
Ordinary Session of the OAU Council of Ministers stated
that on the eve of the official launch of the Union,
Africa was going through a historic moment, namely the
last session of the OAU. She observed that the Council was
not here to bury the OAU, but rather to give birth to the
African Union. Consequently, it was necessary to provide
the Union with a mechanism to enable it to get off to a
good start. She urged Africans to take stock of all the
activities of the OAU and eschew those that would not
serve the interests of the Union.
225.
Following that intervention, some delegations took the
floor to congratulate, on behalf of Council, the
Chairperson on the able manner in which she had steered
the Council Session.
226. Moving
the vote of thanks, Mr. Mahamat Saleh, Minister of Foreign
Affairs and African Integration of the Republic of Chad,
expressed appreciation for the remarkable work done by
Council, which marked a turning point in the life of the
OAU. On behalf of his colleagues, he thanked the entire
General Secretariat for its devotion to the cause of
Africa. He also expressed the appreciation and profound
gratitude of Council to the President, the Government and
the people of South Africa for the warm welcome extended
to all delegations and for the excellent facilities
provided. He expressed the hope that the launch of the
African Union would usher in a brighter and more
prosperous future for Africa.
227.
Following the motion, the Chairperson, on behalf of
Council, thanked all those who, in one way or another, had
contributed to the success of the meeting, and declared
the 76th Session of the OAU Council closed.
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