- Title: [SW Governance]DECLARATION
OF THE 7th IGAD SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATES AND GOVERNMENT November, 26th
1999
- From:[]
- Date :[] November, 26th 1999
DECLARATION
OF THE 7th
IGAD SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATES
AND
GOVERNMENT
November, 26th
1999
The Heads of State and Government of the
Inter-Government Authority on Development met in Djibouti on November 26, 1999 under the
Chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Ismaël Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, and
having carried out extensive discussions on a number of issue-economic, political and
others, including issues pertaining to the further enhancement of the effectiveness of the
Organisation-agreed on the following:
1. On Maintaining the
Momentum In the Revitalisation of the Organisation
The Heads of State and Government, reiterating
their commitment to the revitalisation of IGAD, renewed their resolve to continue, with a
redoubled effort, to work towards making the Organisation an effective instrument for
Sub-regional co-operation in all the areas referred to in its Charter.
In this connection, the Heads of State
and Government expressed their conviction that Sub-regional co-operation among the
countries of the region within the framework of IGAD has no realistic substitution.
Accordingly, they emphasised that regardless of the setbacks in regional co-operation
because of recent complications in bilateral relations among some member states, the
strategic objectives of Sub-regional co-operation which are the mandates of IGAD to
promote, should not be held hostage.
The Heads of State and Government agreed in
this regard to explore possibilities for speeding up the pace of Sub-regional co-operation
within IGAD on the basis of a fast track approach among those prepared and willing to
jointly inject greater dynamism in Sub-regional co-operation based on the principles and
objectives of the Organisation.
2. On Necessary Steps Towards
Trust-Building Among Member States
The Heads of State and Government,
taking note of the recent complications in bilateral relations among some member states
and having drawn the necessary lessons from these, agreed on the need to enhance mutual
confidence and trust among member states. In this connection, they expressed their
conviction that a firm foundation of such relations lies in the scrupulous observance by
all of principles of international law governing inter-state relations and in the
unfailing and practical commitment to principles enshrined in the Charters of the United
Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. They emphasised that recent developments
have shown without doubt that the sources of bilateral strains and conflicts in the
Sub-region lie in failure to abide strictly by principles of international law and to
scrupulously observe internationally accepted norms of conduct in inter-state relations.
Accordingly, the Heads of State and
Government agreed to do whatever is necessary, individually and collectively, to work
towards ensuring that the rule of law is respected in our sub-region and that our
sub-region will be free of discord within and between states.
3. On the Resolution of
On-going Conflicts in the Sub-region
3.1. On the Conflict between
Ethiopia and Eritrea
The Heads of State and Government expressed
their hope that this tragic conflict would be resolved peacefully on the basis of the
on-going facilitation by the OAU and its current Chairman.
3.2. On the Crisis in
Somalia
The Heads of State and Government expressed
their full support to the initiative taken recently by H.E. President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
on the crisis in Somalia. They agreed that the proposal made by Djibouti is fully in
conformity with the general approach approved by the Authority in March 1998 in Djibouti
and builds upon that decision and injects greater clarity into what needs to be done by
IGAD and our partners to remove the obstacles to national reconciliation in Somalia.
Encouraged by the work of the Standing
Committee on Somalia, the Heads of State and Government called on the international
community as a whole to co-operate more effectively with IGAD with the view to enhancing
the role of Civil Society in Somalia for making a difference for peace in that country and
for national reconciliation.
The Heads of State and Government reiterated
once again that there is no alternative for peace in Somalia to pushing forward with the
building block and the bottom-up approach in which the role of warlords is contained and
that of Civil Society is enhanced. They agreed that peace in Somalia and the welfare of
its people cannot be allowed to continue to be held hostage to the narrow and personal
interests of those who have failed to save Somalia from continuing calamity. They called
for and end to the political tourism carried out by Somali warlords and underlined the
need for countries not to co-operate with those in Somalia that hinder the peace process.
The Heads of State and Government reiterated
that those in Somalia who have so far sought to promote peace in their respective regions
by encouraging the participation of Civil Society such as "Somaliland" later
"Puntland" and more recently the region of Bay and Bakool and others, need the
encouragement of the countries of the Sub-region and of the international community in
general. They stressed the need for the international community to be forthcoming in
providing assistance to make the peace dividend approach viable and to promote
reconstruction effort underway in the various parts of the country. In this regard they
called for the early realization of the UN Trust Fund for Somalia.
The Heads of State and Government, expressing
appreciation to H.E. President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh for the initiative that he has already
taken, encouraged Djibouti to pursue the initiative with greater vigour to ensure success.
In this connection, they agreed on the speedy working out of the detailed implementation
mechanism of the new initiative in co-operation with other members of IGAD and with all
those who wish to contribute to national reconciliation in Somalia.
The Heads of State and Government emphasized
that the situation in Somalia has not only continued to be a nightmare to its own people
but has also grown by the day to be a source of serious concern to the countries of the
region. Somalia, they agreed, cannot be allowed to be a haven for all sorts of criminals
and terrorist groups who have the intention of making the whole region lawless and outside
the rule of law. While appealing to the international community not to disregard the
implications of this potential danger, they condemned all those third parties who have
chosen to exacerbate the crisis in Somalia, to push Somalia further into the abyss and to
create chaos in the Sub-region through their co-operation with terrorist groups.
3.3. IGAD Peace Process in
Southern Sudan
The Heads of State and Government expressed
their appreciation to H.E. President Arap Moi for the lead role he continue to play for
peace in the Sudan. They reiterated that the Declaration of Principles continue to provide
an effective and just basis for resolving the crisis in the Sudan, particularly for
national reconciliation which would pave the way for bringing to an end the conflict in
the South.
The Heads of State and Government expressed
the preparedness of IGAD to co-operate with all those with keen interest to contribute to
national reconciliation in Sudan based on the principles expounded in the DOP and already
accepted by the two parties in the IGAD process. The IGAD initiative is an African
initiative and should remain so.
4. On other areas of
Co-operation
The Heads of State and Government took note
with concern the fact that given the reality faced by the Organization the pace with which
their co-operation in other areas is proceeding has been far from satisfactory. In this
regard, they agreed to do whatever is necessary to inject new dynamism into their
co-operation in the economic area. They expressed their hope that partners will continue
to provide effective co-operation to IGAD with the view to bringing about greater
integration among the countries of the Sub-region. The Heads of State and Government
reiterated the need for pushing forward with greater speed the pace of economic
integration among the countries of the Sub-region. They agreed that there is a need to
look into the possibilities for a faster track approach among those who see benefit in
such an approach and based on the principales and objectives of the Organisation.
They Further agreed on the need of an
immediate institutional assessment with the view to improve dramatically IGAD’s
organisational operations, effectiveness and quality performance.
In view of the critical need to develop the
regional infrastructure, such as road and railway links among member countries, the Heads
of State and Government underlined the importance of involving the private sector to
participate in regional infrastructural investment. In this regard, they agreed to convene
under the auspices of IGAD and with the participation of partners, a conference that
brings together the private sector, financial institutions and public enterprises, both
within and outside the region.
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