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| ECOWAS plans extra-ordinary summit on Niger
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Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) -
The ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council Monday recomme
nded that an extra-ordinary summit of Heads of State and Government be convened
in first week of September 2009 in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, as part of the steps
towards resolving the crisis in Niger.
According to a communique issued after its one-day ministerial level meeting in
Abuja, the committee said the call for the extra-ordinary summit followed the Councilâ™s expression of deep concern over the violation of the 1999 consensual Constitution of Niger and the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance which, it stated, undermines the progress made in the consolidation
of democracy
and the rule of law.
In addition, the Council regretted that the recent decision by President Mamadou
Tandja of Niger to change the country's constitution so he could run again
when his second terms expires in December 2009, has made it difficult for the countryâ™s democratic institutions and the Constitutional Court to play their
roles as guarantors of the rule of law.
The council also agreed to constitute a four-member ad-hoc ministerial committee
, led by Nigeria and including Benin, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone,
on the situation in Niger.
Scheduled to start work immediately, the committee is mandated to work with all
political stakeholders in Niger, including the National Council for
Dialogue, towards the restoration of dialogue and consensus which characterized
the political environment before the current crisis.
The committee is expected to report its findings to the extra-ordinary summit.
The Council also tasked the ECOWAS Commission to liaise with other international
organizations such as the African Union, the United Nations and the European
Union on steps to be taken for the restoration of democratic governance and the
culture of tolerance in Niger.
It urged the Government of Niger to create an atmosphere conducive for the resto
ration of democratic governance vis-Ă -vis the respect for the rule of law and
the creation of opportunity for all political actors and the citizenry to partic
ipate in the electoral process.
In this regard, the Council called for the release of all political activists arrested for their opposition to the actions of the government.
The meeting of the Mediation and Security Council is one in a series of efforts
made by ECOWAS to get the Government of President Tandja to abide by
the provisions of his countryâ™s constitution and the regional Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
These efforts include the visit to Niamey of former Nigerian Head of State, retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in June 2009 delegation to deliver a special message
from the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Pres
ident Musa Yarâ™Adua of Nigeria.
They also include the visit of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise as well as a tripartite delegation of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohamed Ibn
Chambas, the Special Representative of the United Nationâ™s Secretary General to West Africa, Ambassador Said Djinnit and an African Union envoy to Niger, Ambrose
Niyonsaba, who met with President Tandja in Niamey.
The meeting in Abuja was attended by Benin, Burkina Faso, CĂ´te dâ™Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Also represented was the United Nations Regional Office for West Africa (UNOWA).
In his opening address, the Chairman of the Council, Chief Ojo Madueke of Nigeria, decried the situation in Niger and said it was a defining moment for survival
of
hard-earned democratic renewal for both Niger and the entire West African region
.
While reiterating the role of peace and stability for socio-economic stability,
Chief Madueke said that the parliament, the media and civil society had a critical part to play
in the consolidation of democracy in the region.
He therefore encouraged the ministers to stand up to the Niger challenge with sincerity, candour and with respect to the various challenges faced by each member
state,
in order that democracy be safeguarded, noting that failure would mean a return
to the âśdark ageâť of authoritarianism and anarchy.
Also in his remarks, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, recalled the economic developments in Niger in the past decade and lamented
the down-turn of events in the country.
He called on the Council to use its wise counsel to help Niger return to dialogue in dealing with its constitutional and political crisis.
While the meeting was going on, a protest organised by a civil society coalition
in front of the ECOWAS Commission headquarters called for an urgent action to prevent a descent to anarchy in the West African nation of Niger.
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| Abuja - 24/08/2009 |
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