02/42 - NINETEENTH MEETING OF THE COMMONWEALTH MINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP ON THE HARARE DECLARATION (CMAG),
Kasane, Botswana, 16-17 May 2002 Publication date: 17/05/2002
CONCLUDING STATEMENT
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) met in Kasane, Botswana, on 16-17 May 2002. This was the Group's first meeting following its reconstitution by Commonwealth Heads of Government at Coolum in March 2002, and the nineteenth meeting since CMAG's creation at the Auckland Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November 1995. It was attended by the Hon Chris Gallus, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia, the Hon M Morshed Khan, MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, the Hon Lt General Mompati S. Merafhe, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana, the Hon Digvijay Singh, Minister of State for Railways of India, the Hon Joseph Borg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta, Mr Olusegun Akinsanya, Director, International Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, and Ms Marilyn T. Zonicle, Deputy High Commissioner of The Bahamas in London.
CMAG adopted its Agenda and unanimously re-elected as Chairman the Hon Lt-General Mompati S. Merafhe, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana, and elected the Hon Alexander Downer, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia, as Vice Chairman.
The Group expressed its appreciation to the Hon Lt-General Mompati S. Merafhe and to the Government and people of Botswana for their kind hospitality and the excellent arrangements made for the meeting
CMAG Mandate
CMAG welcomed the expanded mandate of the Group adopted by Heads of Government at their meeting in Coolum in March 2002, and agreed that the new measures would be factored into the Group's operations.
. . .
Zimbabwe
The Group received a report from the Secretary-General on recent developments in Zimbabwe. It also took note of the Coolum CHOGM's Statement on Zimbabwe and the action taken by the CHOGM Chairpersons' Committee on Zimbabwe on 19 March 2002 to suspend Zimbabwe from the Councils of the Commonwealth for one year. CMAG welcomed the ongoing efforts of President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, amongst other initiatives, to achieve reconciliation and economic recovery in Zimbabwe. CMAG decided it would keep Zimbabwe on its agenda but would take no further action given the decision of the CHOGM Chairpersons' Committee to remain seized of the issue.
. . .
Human Rights Investigative Body for the Commonwealth
In regard to a proposal before CMAG to create a Commonwealth Commission on Human Rights, the Group decided that in the light of the recent creation within the Commonwealth Secretariat of a dedicated Human Rights Unit and the existence of other international Human Rights Organisations, the proposal should not proceed.
Next Meeting
The Group decided that they would meet at Marlborough House in London in October 2002.
Commonwealth Secretariat Botswana 17 May 2002
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