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11Th ECOWAS-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting Luxembourg, 24 April 2007

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11Th ECOWAS-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting Luxembourg, 24 April 2007 COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION EN Luxembourg, 24 April 2007 8825/07 (Presse 92) 11th ECOWAS-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting Luxembourg, 24 April 2007 FINAL COMMUNIQUE 1. The eleventh ministerial Troika meeting between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU) was held in Luxembourg on 24 th April 2007 under the Co–Chairs of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Niger, Her Excellency Mrs. Aïchatou Mindaoudou, standing for the current Chairperson of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and His Excellency Mr. Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the CFSP and Secretary-General of the EU Council. 2. The ECOWAS Troika further included the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas. The EU Troika was further composed of Mr. Günter Gloser, Minister of State of Germany, representing the current Presidency of the EU, Mr. Joáo Gomes Cravinho, Portuguese Secretary of State, EU Commissioner for Development, Mr. Louis Michel and the Presidency Special Representative for the Mano River Union. His Excellency Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the UNSG for West Africa, and Mr. Amadou Diop of the UEMOA Commission also attended the meeting as Observers. P R E S S Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0) 2 281 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026 [email protected] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/Newsroom 8825/07 (Presse 92) 1 EN A. PEACE AND SECURITY Côte d’Ivoire 3. ECOWAS and the EU welcomed the signing of the political agreement of 4 March 2007 in Ouagadougou between the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the Secretary-General of the Forces Nouvelles. They commended the personal engagement of Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaoré in his facilitator role. 4. Both parties called upon the signatories to the agreement and other protagonists in the Ivorian crisis to respect the agreed timetable by implementing without delay the measures foreseen in the Ouagadougou Agreement so that the peace process defined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1721 may be relaunched. In this respect, they welcomed the formation of a transitional government and the constitution of an integrated army command centre and looked forward to the early start of the electoral process. In order to bring the crisis in the country to a rapid end, both parties reiterated the need for the effective identification of populations and for the disarmament of armed groups, to create conditions for free, fair and transparent elections to be held as soon as possible. 5. Both parties commended former UNSG Special Representative Pierre Schori and UN High Representative for the elections Mr. Stoudmann, and former Prime Minister Konan Banny and the International Working Group for their contribution to peace in Côte d'Ivoire. They also stressed the need to ensure the appropriate participation of the international community and in particular the UN in the follow-up and monitoring of the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement. Both parties also agreed to continue to follow closely the situation in the country. Republic of Guinea 6. ECOWAS and the EU welcomed the appointment of Lansana Kouyaté as Prime Minister and the formation of a government of national unity following intense consultations with all political forces and civil society. Both constitute important steps in the implementation of the agreement signed between the government and the trade unions. Both parties expressed appreciation of the Guinean civil society and trade unions, whose constructive attitude has made a consensual resolution of the crisis possible. The EU commended ECOWAS for its mediation efforts which have been crucial in the easing of tension. 8825/07 (Presse 92) 2 EN 7. ECOWAS and the EU greatly regret the loss of human life during the crisis and call on the new government to follow up on the efforts to bring the truth about the violence to light to ensure that the culprits do not go unpunished. They also encouraged the new government to undertake urgent economic and social reforms in order to improve the living conditions of ordinary citizens, and to give priority to the protection of human rights, in particular freedom of the media, and the rule of law in the country. The EU will resume a constructive dialogue, particularly on these last points, with the new Guinean authorities, in the framework of the consultations begun in 2004 pursuant to the Cotonou Agreement, with a follow-up mission early May. 8. ECOWAS and the EU encouraged all sides to accelerate their efforts to reform the electoral framework for free, fair and transparent parliamentary elections in 2007. In this respect, both parties called on the Guinean National Assembly to enact, without delay, the four draft electoral laws agreed through political dialogue with the opposition in 2006. The EU reiterated its readiness to support the democratisation process and informed ECOWAS of the agreement signed with UNDP for the creation of a basket fund for the elections. ECOWAS and the EU welcomed the appointment of a Special Representative of President of ECOWAS in Conakry to closely monitor the situation and to provide support. Both parties agreed to cooperate to facilitate the continued stability of the country through democratic reform. Guinea Bissau 9. ECOWAS and the EU encouraged the new Government and all political actors in Guinea Bissau to solve their differences trough constitutional channels and to work together in a spirit of national reconciliation. The EU commended ECOWAS and UNOGBIS for their positive role in easing political tensions in the country. Both parties also encouraged the new government to stay focused on the improvement of the economic situation, as reflected in the 2006-2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and on the necessary public administration and security sector reforms. 8825/07 (Presse 92) 3 EN 10. Both parties welcomed the engagement of international partners at the second meeting of the International Contact Group on Guinea Bissau held in Lisbon on 26 March 2007 and its proposal to establish an economic governance framework, based on the precedent of the GEMAP in Liberia, as a mechanism that would help to restore confidence between donors and the Government of Guinea Bissau. ECOWAS welcomed the intention of the EU to explore possibilities to increase its engagement as regards security sector reform in Guinea Bissau. Both parties looked forward to an increased cooperation between the World Bank and the IMF and the country. ECOWAS and the EU will also continue to co-operate both on the ground and in the framework of the International Contact Group, by proposing the country for inclusion in the work of the UN Peace Building Commission. The parties looked forward to the upcoming high-level confidence-building mission of the ICG to Guinea-Bissau to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders. B. DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION AND ELECTIONS Cooperation in the field of democratic consolidation 11. Following their decision to strengthen their cooperation in the field of democratisation, ECOWAS and the EU have increased the exchange of information, including election observation final reports. ECOWAS welcomed the assistance provided to the ECOWAS electoral fund by the European Development Fund under the Conflict-prevention and Peace-building programme. 12. The EU commended ECOWAS for its contribution to election observation in the region, which will be further enhanced with its new Electoral Assistance Unit. ECOWAS and the EU welcomed the ECOWAS Handbook on election which is in its final stage and the strengthening of network of electoral commissions of countries in sub-region. 13. ECOWAS welcomed EU Election Observation Mission currently deployed in Nigeria and the interest of the EU in observing the elections in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Togo. Both parties underlined the added value of regular cooperation between election observation missions when deployed simultaneously in the same country. 8825/07 (Presse 92) 4 EN Nigeria 14. EU and ECOWAS exchanged views on the electoral process in Nigeria. They commended the Nigerian people for their determination to engage in this process. They noted some positive elements, such as the freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary, in the context of these elections. The parties however deplored the organisational and procedural shortcomings as well as acts of violence that were carried by the preliminary reports of national, regional and international election observation missions. ECOWAS and the EU called upon all parties to respect the legal procedures for dealing with complaints and for the completion of the electoral process. 15. ECOWAS and the EU trust the incoming government to continue addressing the root causes of violence and encouraged it to further pursue and deepen the reforms undertaken in the areas of the electoral system, the economic sector, the rule of law and good governance, mindful of the role that Nigeria endeavours to play for the stability of the subregion. Sierra Leone 16. Both ECOWAS and the EU recognise the importance of the forthcoming elections for Sierra Leone for the consolidation of peace and democracy in the region and are considering to deploy election observation missions. Both parties underlined the importance of all political parties and their supporters respecting democratic rules and freedom of movement and expression during the election campaign and the need for an effective disputes settlement mechanism. ECOWAS and the EU congratulated Ms. Thorpe, Chair of the National Electoral Commission, for her able leadership in preparing for elections and the successful completion of the constituency boundary delimitation and voter registration processes and urged the Government, political parties and the people of Sierra Leone to work for free, fair and credible elections. 17. ECOWAS and the EU expect that the future Government of Sierra Leone will improve governance and accountability in Sierra Leone, as an indispensable condition for economic development.
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