S/2000/36
LETTER DATED 18 JANUARY 2000 FROM
THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF NAMIBIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADDRESSED
TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
I have the honour to forward the text of the final communiqué of the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State or Government of the Southern African Development Community, held in Maputo on 16 January 2000, for circulation to members of the Security Council and for distribution as a document of the Council (see annex).
(Signed) Martin ANDJABA
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Annex
Final communiqué of the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State or Government of the Southern African Development Community, held in Maputo on 16 January 2000
1. At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, in his capacity as Chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State or Government was held in Maputo on 16 January 2000.
2. The objective of the Summit was to evaluate the degree of implementation of the Lusaka Agreement of 10 July 1999 on the ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/1999/815, annex) and to review the work of the commissions set up within the framework of the said Agreement concerning the modalities and mechanisms of its implementation, with a view to the adoption of appropriate measures for the rapid normalization of the situation in that SADC member country.
3. The Summit was attended by the following Heads of State or Government:
Angola: President José Eduardo
dos Santos;
Botswana: President Festus Mogae;
Lesotho: Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili;
Malawi: President Bakili Muluzi;
Mozambique: President Joaquim Alberto Chissano;
Namibia: President Sam Nujoma;
South Africa: President Thabo Mbeki;
United Republic of Tanzania: President Benjamin William Mkapa;
Zambia: President Frederick Chiluba;
Zimbabwe: President Robert Mugabe.
4. The Summit was also attended by Barnabas S. Dlamini, the Prime Minister of Swaziland, and Rajkeswur Purryag, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mauritius.
5. Also in attendance as special guests were President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Pasteur Bizimungu of Rwanda.
6. The Summit was also attended by the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Salim Ahmed Salim, the Acting Executive Secretary of SADC, Prega Ramsamy, and the former President of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire.
7. The Summit applauded the appointment of the former President of Botswana by the Congolese parties as the facilitator of the national dialogue between the political forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and considered that his appointment would contribute to the expeditious implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement so that a global solution to the conflict could be reached.
8. The Summit noted with concern the lack of progress in the implementation of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement of 10 July 1999.
9. The Summit reiterated the importance and validity of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement of 10 July as a fundamental instrument for the process of a peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this connection, it urged the signatories to cooperate in a more active manner towards its full and successful implementation. For that purpose, an urgent meeting of the belligerents will soon be convened to speed up the implementation of the Agreement.
10. The Summit reaffirmed the importance of the involvement of the United Nations, OAU, SADC and the whole international community in the search for a global and lasting solution to the conflict. The Summit encouraged them to continue their political and diplomatic efforts aimed at the achievement of the intended results.
11. The Summit called upon the Security Council to send urgently a full peacekeeping force to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as to provide the necessary logistical means for its operation in the context of the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement.
12. The Summit appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees and displaced populations in cooperation with humanitarian assistance organization, as well as to provide resources for the process of national reconstruction.
13. The Summit expressed its expectation that the Security Council, at its session to be held on 24 January, would further deliberate towards this direction.
14. The Summit thanked the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and President Joaquim Alberto Chissano for the hospitality and facilities made available for the success of the deliberations of the Maputo Extraordinary SADC Summit.