Second Meeting of The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on The Harare Declaration

Concluding Statement

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration held its second meeting at Marlborough House, London, on 23 April 1996.

Sierra Leone

The Group warmly welcomed the transition to an elected civilian government in Sierra Leone following the elections held in February and March 1996 and congratulated the Government and people of Sierra Leone on the determination displayed in achieving this transition. It commended the work of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Sierra Leone elections and the constructive role played by individual Commonwealth governments and the Commonwealth Secretariat in assisting that transition. It expressed the hope that the dialogue now under way between the new Government and the Revolutionary United Front would reach a positive conclusion, and that the establishment of multi-party democracy would be quickly followed and reinforced by the achievement of durable peace and socio-economic reconstruction. It urged member governments to assist Sierra Leone in the consolidation of the transition and in the rehabilitation of the country's economic infrastructure.

The Gambia

The Group welcomed the continuing commitment of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) to the transition to civilian democratic rule, as reaffirmed most recently to the Prime Minister of St Vincent and The Grenadines, the Rt Hon Sir James Mitchell. It urged the AFPRC to create conditions conducive to a credible democratic transition. Noting that delays in the implementation of the transition timetable had been occasioned in part by a lack of resources and other practical difficulties, the Group appealed to member states and the wider international community to assist The Gambia in successfully completing the transition process.

The Group proposed to send a ministerial mission consisting of three of their number to The Gambia to reaffirm the Commonwealth's support for The Gambia's transition and to explore areas in which further multilateral and bilateral assistance could be provided by the Commonwealth. The Chairman of the Group will be writing to the Head of State of The Gambia to this effect.

Nigeria

The Group regretted the fact that the Government of Nigeria had so far declined to receive the ministerial mission to pursue dialogue at the highest level, agreed by the Group at its last meeting. It reviewed developments in Nigeria since that meeting. It noted that, notwithstanding the holding of non-party local government elections in March 1996 and other steps, the general human rights situation in the country had continued to deteriorate; for example, not only had political and other detainees not been released but further political detentions had occurred.

Accordingly, the Group reviewed measures which the Commonwealth could take in order to register continuing disapproval of developments in Nigeria, as well as to encourage the Nigerian authorities to adhere to the Harare principles. In this context, they considered possible further measures and decided to recommend for implementation by the Commonwealth the following:

• visa restrictions on members of the Nigerian regime and their families;
• withdrawal of military attachés;
• cessation of military training;
• embargo on the export of arms;
• denial of educational facilities to members of the Nigerian regime and their families;
• an immediate visa-based ban on all sporting contacts;
• a downgrading of cultural links;
• the downgrading of diplomatic missions.

The Group further decided that a ban on airlinks with Nigeria and additional economic measures, including freezing the financial assets and bank accounts in foreign countries of members of the regime and their families, should be considered in consultation with the European Union (EU), the United States and other members of the international community with a view to their adoption as appropriate. In this regard, it also decided that members of the Group, assisted by the Secretariat, would undertake such consultations, and that, in this context, the Secretary-General should liaise with the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity, and with the executive heads of other international organisations as appropriate.

The Group underscored the need for better co-ordination, within the Commonwealth and more widely, on the implementation of all agreed measures in respect of Nigeria.

In the meantime, noting that while it had declined to receive the Commonwealth mission the Government of Nigeria had, in a communication to the Secretary-General, offered to despatch a high-level delegation to hold discussions, the Group expressed its readiness to meet with such a delegation from Nigeria within the coming calendar month, pending the implementation of the above measures.

96/17 23 April 1996