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Zaire: African Statements
Date Distributed (ymd): 961111
Contains (1) Statement from Nairobi Summit, (2) Pan African
News Agency stories from OAU meeting in Addis Ababa.
Note: Updated information from a variety of sources can be found most conveniently and quickly at (1) http://www.info.usaid.gov/ofda/reliefweb/ (outside North America at http://www.reliefweb.int/) and (2) http://www.africanews.org/greatlakes.html. Additional statements from U.S. non-governmental relief and development organizations can be found at http://www.interaction.org/zrcrisis.html.
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Document provided by ReliefWeb <http://www.reliefweb.int/> Source: Regional Summit on the Crisis in Eastern Zaire Date : 05 Nov 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------
Press Statement by the Regional Summit on the Crisis in Eastern Zaire
1. At the invitation of President Daniel T. arap Moi, Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Frederick Chiluba of Zambia, Pasteur Bizimungu of Rwanda, Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Ferdinand Oyono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, representing HE Paul Biya, Chairman of OAU met on 5th November, 1996, in Nairobi, to deliberate on the conflict in Eastern Zaire.
2. Also participating in the summit were the Secretary General OAU, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Facilitator of the Peace Process.
3. The Summit examined recent developments in Eastern Zaire, resulting in arrmed confrontation and expressed its grave concern at the deteriorating situation in that area and the threat posed to peace and stability in the entire Great Lake's region, border incursions and the threat posed to peace and stability in the entire Great Lakes' region.
4. The Summit reaffirmed the commitment and solidarity of the countries in the region for the concern about the escalation of the conflict and agreed that an immediate cease-fire should be effected and strictly observed to enable the intensification of diplomatic efforts to achieve lasting peace.
5. The Summit reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity of Zaire in accordance with the OAU Charter and in particular, the Cairo Declaration of 1964 on territorial integrity and inviolability of national boundaries as inherited at independence and called for non-intervention and an end to cross-border incursions.
6. The Summit further reaffirmed the inalienable rights of all people within the internationally recognized territorial boundaries as stipulated in the OAU Charter on Human and People's Rights and other international conventions relevant to the right of citizenship and nationality.
7. Taking cognisance of the plight of the refugees in Eastern Zaire, the regional Summit called for the immediate setting up of safe corridors and temporary sanctuaries inside Zaire to facilitate humanitarian assistance and the repatriation of refugees.
8. The Summit called for the intensification of efforts towards voluntary repatriation of refugees to Rwanda, to enable the success of this effort the Summit called for the implementation of the long standing decision to separate the intimidators and bonafide refugees.
9. The Summit requested the UN Security Council to take urgent measures to ensure the establishment of the safe corridors and temporary sanctuaries by deploying a neutral force. In this connection, the Summit called upon the UN Secretary General to work closely with the OAU Secretary General towards the realisation of this objective, the Summit requested the Secretary General of the OAU to closely follow up the implementation of this decision. The Summit affirmed the readiness of the sub-region to make its own contribution to that effect.
10. The Summit directed their ministers for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and the representative of OAU Chairman to closely follow up the decisions of the Summit.
11. The Summit mandated the foreign ministers to visit Zaire to convey the decisions of this summit.
12. The regional Summit expressed its appreciation to President Daniel T. arap Moi for playing host to the Summit on the crisis in Zaire, in Nairobi and to the Government and people of the Republic of Kenya, for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to the delegations.
Done at Nairobi, Kenya on 5th November, 1996
Transcribed verbatim by UN DHA IRIN, Nairobi.
Via the UN DHA Integrated Regional Information Network "Wire" mailing list. The material contained in this communication may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. UN DHA IRIN Tel: +254 2 622123 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin@dha.unon.org for more information. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer.
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Panafrican News Agency. B.P. 4056, Dakar, Senegal;
Tel: (221) 24-13-95; Fax: (221) 24-13-90;
E-mail: quoiset@sonatel.senet.net
OAU Calls for A Neutral Force Under United Nations 11 November 1996 >From Ghion Hagos; PANA Staff Correspondent
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PANA) - A neutral force under the United Nations should be deployed immediately to avert further human tragedy in eastern Zaire and political turmoil in the Great Lakes region.
This was the view expressed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and OAU Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim in their opening statements Monday during the extraordinary ministerial session of the OAU's organ for conflict prevention, management and resolution.
Both Meles and Salim emphasized that the proposed neutral force should be deployed in line with the proposals made by the Nov. 5 regional summit in Nairobi, Kenya, details of which had been communicated to the UN Security Council.
But the Security Council decided Nov. 6 that the cost of mounting the operation "be borne by participating member states and other voluntary contributors,". It also encouraged others "to contribute to the operation in any way possible."
According to Meles, this places "constraints" on African countries to fully participate in the force. "Since the proposed multinational force will not strictly be a United Nations operation but rather a force authorized and supported by the UN, there will be need to have a clear commitment on financial, logistics and material assistance to enable African countries to participate," he said.
This calls for an urgent decision on the part of the United Nations, he added, now that Africa had acted on what should be done as specified by the decisions of the Nairobi summit. Meles said when Africa is ready to shoulder its responsibilities it should not be taken for granted, pointing out that the Security Council had ignored the decisions of the summit.
He stated that the tragedy in eastern Zaire was in more ways than one, a sequel to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. If Africa is to act to avert such tragedy, it should be taken seriously by the international community.
Salim said the Nairobi summit had taken "unequivocal position" on the inviolability and territorial integirty of Zaire.
He emphasized that an effective African participation was pivotal to the success of the proposed neutral force in the Great Lakes region.
As proposed by the Security Council, Salim pointed out, there will be a need to have a clear commitment on financial logistics and material assistance to enable African countries to participate in the force.
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Africa Seeks UN Support In Eastern Zaire
11 Nov 96
>From Ghion Hagos ; PANA Staff Correspondent
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PANA) - The United Nations Security Council was called upon Monday to facilitate "Africa's effective participation" in the proposed multinational force for humanitarian work in the Great Lakes Region.
The call came at the end of a day-long extraordinary ministerial session of the OAU body charged with conflict prevention, management and resolution in Addis Ababa, which deliberated on the current crisis in eastern Zaire.
In a communique, the ministers underscored the need for the Security Council and the international community at large "to create a mechanism" to ensure an effective African participation in the proposed multinational force.
They said that given the resource constraints that would clearly face African contributors to the force, "financial, logistics and material resources should be provided on a very reliable, dependable and sustainable basis" to ensure Africa's effective participation.
The communique further underscored the position that "the setting up of a neutral force, as recommended by the regional Nairobi summit (on Nov. 5), would have been the most effective manner in facilitating the creation of safe corridors and temporary sanctuaries and ensuring an effective African contribution to such a force."
However, the ministerial session regretted that the security council "did not fully take into account this particular recommendation of the Nairobi summit."
The meeting also appealed to all the African countries to contribute contingents to the proposed force "on the understanding that resources would be made available."
It pointed out "the need for clarity of the magnitude" of the force that is to facilitate "the provision of humanitarian relief assistance and the return of refugees to Rwanda," saying such a force be neutral and be deployed urgently.
The communique further said that it was crucial to separate "intimidators from bona-fide refugees," and requested the Security Council to consider this issue as "a vital component of the efforts to ensure the safe and voluntary return of the refugees to Rwanda to create conditions conducive to the resolution of the crisis."
The meeting also expressed support to the OAU proposal for convening, as soon as possible, an international conference on Peace, Security and Stability in the Great Lakes Region to find a durable solution to the crisis in the region.
OAU secretary general Salim Ahmed Salim told reporters later that the "collective complaints of the ministers" during deliberations had been that the multinational force proposed by the security council had not been made fully a responsibility of the United Nations, similar to other previous peacekeeping forces elsewhere.
The OAU Secretary-General, Salim Ahmed Salim, told reporters at the end of the meeting that ball was now in the court of those that had previously said Africa should shoulder its responsibilities.
"Africa is now ready...provided there is guarantee to ensure the quick deployment and sustainability of the proposed force," he declared.
He said five countries, which he did not name, have already informed him of their readiness to contribute contingents to the proposed multinational force, and "more have also indicated their readiness to do so in due course."
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Copyright 1996 Panafrican News Agency and Africa News Service.
All rights reserved.
Note: These articles reposted, with permission, from the Web site of Africa News Service, which features among other material news bulletins several times daily from the Panafrican News Agency. PANA has 36 correspondents across the continent and working relationships with national news agencies in 48 African countries. The Africa News home page is http://www.africanews.org/. The PANA news feed is found at http://www.africanews.org/pana/FEED/PANAFEED.html.
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Message-Id: <199611120408.UAA05339@igc3.igc.apc.org> From: apic@igc.apc.org Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 23:04:16 -0500 Subject: Zaire: African Statements
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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