Ninth Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG)

Marlborough House, 2-3 March 1998 

CONCLUDING STATEMENT 

1.         CMAG held its ninth meeting at Marlborough House, London,  on 2-3 March 1998. This was its first meeting since the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held at Edinburgh in October 1997, at which CMAG was reconstituted. The Group welcomed Barbados and Botswana as new members.

2.         The Group re-elected the Hon Dr Stan Mudenge, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe, as its Chairman and the Rt Hon Don McKinnon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, as its Vice-Chairman.

The Gambia

3.         The Group recognised the progress made so far towards the consolidation of civilian democratic and constitutional rule in The Gambia and the role being played by the Commonwealth Secretariat's various programmes designed to contribute to strengthening democratic processes and institutions in that country. It requested the Secretary-General to continue to assist The Gambia with such technical assistance and, in view of its continuing concerns, that he should monitor developments in The Gambia, keeping CMAG informed as appropriate. 

Nigeria

4.         CMAG reviewed developments in Nigeria since the CHOGM in Edinburgh in October 1997 in the context of the concerns expressed by Heads of Government at their Meeting. In this, it was guided by the mandate from CHOGM that, following 1 October 1998, the Group should assess whether Nigeria had satisfactorily completed a credible programme for the restoration of democracy and civilian government, in observance of the Harare principles.

5.         While acknowledging that the election of members of the State Assemblies had been held in December 1997, the Group nonetheless believed that, in order to be credible, the transition process must be seen to command the support of the Nigerian people.  In this regard, CMAG emphasised the necessity of a political environment where the people's right to express their political opinion and to choose a government can be exercised in a free and unfettered way.  The Group also called for a clear indication of the constitutional framework for the transition through early publication of the new Nigerian Constitution.  Other criteria for the assessment would involve observance of those principles enshrined in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, including respect for human rights and the rule of law, as well as the release of political detainees long sought by the Commonwealth. The Group also expressed concern over the health and welfare of these political detainees.

Sierra Leone

6.         The Group welcomed the fact that the rule of the military  junta in Freetown had been brought to an end, thus paving the way for the restoration of the democratically-elected government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. It commended the role played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in that regard and looked forward to the return of President Tejan Kabbah to Freetown scheduled for 10 March 1998. CMAG endorsed the call by the Organisation of African Unity Council of Ministers for the early deployment of  a United Nations Military Observer Mission in Sierra Leone alongside the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).

7.         The Group expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone and appealed to the Commonwealth and the wider international community, as a matter of urgency, to provide  the necessary humanitarian assistance to the people of that country. It further appealed for assistance to the countries neighbouring Sierra Leone, which had been coping with large numbers of Sierra Leonean refugees. The Group recognised the important role to be played by the UN Trust Fund in the task of disarmament, demobilisation, reconstruction and rehabilitation.

8.         The Group agreed to send a ministerial-level mission to Sierra Leone as soon as possible following the return of President Kabbah to Freetown, as an indication of the Commonwealth's solidarity and support and in order to explore ways in which the Commonwealth could implement its resolve to assist Sierra Leone in the task of national reconstruction and peace building. The mission will comprise ministerial representatives from  Britain, Canada, Ghana, Malaysia and Zimbabwe.

9.         The Group further agreed that, in the meantime, such Commonwealth assistance as was possible on a bilateral or multilateral basis should be provided. In this context, it noted a request from President Kabbah for Commonwealth assistance with the reorganisation of the Sierra Leonean police force. It recognised that this should be undertaken in close co-ordination with other international agencies in order to ensure an effective security environment.