International
ECOWAS sends Togolese leader to engage Niger Junta
West African leaders yesterday took a step forward in their quest for the restoration of democracy in Niger Republic.
The sub-regional body, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government raised a three-man negotiation team to mediate in the protracted political crisis in the country.
Led by President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, other members of the team are President Macky Sall of Sierra Leone and President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic.
The ECOWAS Authority, which is chaired by President Bola Tinubu, took the decision during its 64th Ordinary Session at the State House Conference Center in Abuja.
The team’s terms of reference are to negotiate Niger’s speedy return to democracy with the junta that seized power from the legitimate government led by Mohammed Bazoum, who is in detention, encourage the coup plotters to release a transition programme and facilitate the monitoring of the programme.
Besides, the ECOWAS Authority resolved to prevent any attempt to break the sub-regional group through foreign-sponsored alliances and set up a standby force for counterterrorism across region.
According to its communique read by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, the leaders mandated the three-man Committee to interface with the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), which is the military administration in Niger Republic.
It said the team was expected to rally the CNDP and other stakeholders to agree to a short transition roadmap and the establishment of transition organs and goals.
The Abdourahamane Tchiani-led CNSP had about a month ago requested that Togolese President Gnassingbe should lead the team to negotiate with it in resolving the impasse.
That followed the ousting in July the democratically elected administration of President Bazoum.
ECOWAS Authority said the outcome of the engagement with the CNSP will determine its subsequent resolutions; either to commence the progressive relieving of the imposed sanctions or sustain the sanctions, including the use of force, as well as requests for more actions against the junta from other international bodies.
The communiqué reads: “On the political situation in the Republic of Niger, the Authority recalled its decision at its extra ordinary summit of 30 July, 2023, and 10th August 2023.
“The Authority commends the efforts of the Chair of Authority, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, towards a peaceful resolution of the political crisis.
“The Authority deeply deplores the continued detention of President Mohammed Bazoum, his family and associates by the CNSP administration. The Authority further deplores the lack of commitment on the part of the CNSP to restore constitutional order. Consequently, the Authority calls on the CNSP to release President Mohammed Bazoum, his family and associates immediately and without condition.
“The Authority decides to set up a committee of heads of state, made up of the President and Head of State of the Republic of Togo, the President and the Head of State of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the President and Head of State of the Republic of Benin, to engage with CNSP and other stakeholders, with a view to agreeing on a short transition roadmap, establishing transition organs, as well as facilitating the setting up of a transition monitoring and evaluation mechanism towards the speedy restoration of constitutional order.
“Based on the outcomes of the engagement by the committee of heads of state with the CNSP, the Authority will progressively ease the sanctions imposed on Niger. Failure by the CNSP to comply with the outcomes of the engagement with the committee, ECOWAS shall maintain all sanctions, including the use of force and will request African Union and all other partners to enforce the targeted sanctions on members of the CNSP and their associates.”
The ECOWAS Authority also rejected new moves by external interests to balkanise the region by creating alliances among member-states.
President Tinubu frowned at an attempt to distract the efforts at entrenching democratic culture in the region through the creation the ‘Alliance of the Sahel States’ among military-run member-states.
International
US and Iran to sign historic peace deal June 19 in Switzerland
He commended both Washington and Tehran for choosing diplomacy over continued conflict and acknowledged the roles played by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye in facilitating the talks.
•US/IRAN flags
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, revealed that both the United States and Iran have reached a landmark peace agreement to the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
The formal signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 19 in Switzerland.
According to Sharif, the agreement is the result of extensive mediation efforts involving several regional and international stakeholders.
He commended both Washington and Tehran for choosing diplomacy over continued conflict and acknowledged the roles played by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye in facilitating the talks.
International
Zimbabwe Wins UN Security Council Seat for 2027-2028
The five countries were elected by the 193-member General Assembly to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on January 1, 2027.
Zimbabwe has been elected to a non-permanent, two-year term on the United Nations Security Council, the third time the country will be represented on the body mandated to maintain international peace and security.
Voice of Nigeria reports that the other countries that secured seats around the iconic horseshoe table are Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kyrgyzstan.
The five countries were elected by the 193-member General Assembly to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on January 1, 2027.
Austria and Portugal won the two seats allocated to the Western European and other States (WEOG) Group, while Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe were elected from the Latin American and Caribbean Group and the African Group, respectively.
Kyrgyzstan secured the Asia-Pacific seat after defeating the Philippines in four rounds of voting.
International
Finland’s president says EU should expand to 40 states — including Canada
His comments come as the Trump administration’s actions, alongside Russia’s war with Ukraine, prompt some countries to reconsider the benefits of EU membership.
• Finland’s president Alexander Stubb
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has stressed the need for a much larger European Union, saying the 27-nation bloc should increase its membership to 40 states and named the U.K., Canada, Turkey, Norway and Iceland as potential candidates to join.
Stubb made the call at an energy conference in the Finnish capital on Wednesday.
His comments come as the Trump administration’s actions, alongside Russia’s war with Ukraine, prompt some countries to reconsider the benefits of EU membership.
Stubb told the Eurelectric Power Summit that “the window of opportunity” for EU enlargement “is quite short because when the war in Ukraine ends and perhaps when the U.S. administration changes, I don’t know, then people are going to take their foot off the gas pedal and start heckling about unnecessary stuff again.”
Stubb added that “European strategic autonomy or European geopolitical power” is “often based on size and scale and I think the best European policy ever has been European enlargement.”
“In this moment, we need to think big and geographically, we need to enlarge or at least create memberships which are flexible enough to bring in a sum total of 40 European states — or even non-European,” Stubb said.
Finland’s president said the EU should look to its western flank and bring the U.K., which left the bloc in 2020, back into the fold, or at least “as close as possible
.”Canada should be considered as another option, Stubb said. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if Canada was the 28th state of the European Union rather than the 51st state of the United States?”
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