United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, held a meeting in New York on Friday with representatives of the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments over the controversial Bakassi peninsular.
He was reassured that the UN-mediated Greentree accord was on course, Empowered Newswire reported on Saturday.
A statement released by the United Nations Secretariat after the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the world body in New York, said the Mixed Commission �continues to report that the parties are not only complying with the Agreement, but working together for the wellbeing of the populations.�
The Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission normally meets in Abuja and Yaounde every two months, but Friday meeting also included UN officials who together with the Commission formed a Follow-up Committee on Bakassi.
The committee was charged with the monitoring of the implementation of the Greentree accord of June, 2006. The Committee is a diplomatic body of a higher level to the Mixed Commission on Bakassi.
The Friday meeting was chaired on behalf of the UN by former Undersecretary General of the UN Political Affairs Department, Sir Kieran Prendergast. The delegations of the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon and western nations, who witnessed the Greentree accord, were also at the meeting.
The UN statement was silent on the recent senate�s decision not to recognise the cession of the peninsular to Cameroon through the agreement signed last year by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The senate had recently said the agreement was yet to be ratified by the National Assembly and as such the cession of Bakassi to Cameroon ahead of the National Assembly ratification of the accord was unconstitutional.
The presence of the witnesses and the UN members of the Follow-up Committee on Friday, is believed to have been influenced by the recent position of the senate since only members of the Mixed Commission consider the agreement every other month.
The commission comprises Cameroonian delegation led by Mr. Amadou Ali, Ministre d�Etat in charge of Justice, and the Nigerian delegation led by Prince Bola Ajibola former Minister of Justice.
It is chaired by Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General. The Commission held its first meeting in Yaounde on December 1, 2002 and held its last meeting earlier in July in Yaounde, after its May meeting in Abuja.
The Friday meeting was attended by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoaka.
At the meeting, the Commission briefed the Follow-up Committee and both bodies met Ki-moon afterwards.
According to the UN statement �Since the withdrawal and transfer of authority in the Bakassi Peninsular, in accordance with the Greentree Agreement, the UN civilian observers of the Mixed Commission continue to report that the parties are not only complying with the Agreement but working together for the wellbeing of the populations.�
The statement added that �In his meeting with the Follow-Up Committee, the Secretary General congratulated Cameroon and Nigeria for their continued commitment to the full implementation of the Greentree Agreement on the Bakassi Peninsular, and reaffirmed the readiness of the United Nations to continue to support the constructive efforts made by the two countries to strengthen border cooperation and bilateral relations overall.�
Ki-Moon, who was having his first meeting with the Committee and the Commission, said that he regarded the cooperation between both countries on Bakassi as �an example of two member states working together in the interest of sub-regional cooperation and peace.�
Expectations had been high that the meeting called after the killings of Cameroonians in the area would discuss the issue.
Sources in the UN office in New York, said the Ki-Moon got assurances from the Nigerian delegation that the transfer of Bakassi would not be reversed.
Dec92007