SOUTH AFRICA: President Thabo Mbeki says Comoros problems should be resolved by peaceful means

Record ID: 455342

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: President Thabo Mbeki says Comoros problems should be resolved by peaceful means
  • Date: 26th March 2008
  • Summary: (BN12) PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (MARCH 25, 2008) (REUTERS) CAMEROON'S GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS GREETING MBEKI AND HIS OFFICIALS PRESIDENT MBEKI'S ADVISER WATCHING SOUNDBITE (English) THABO MBEKI, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT, SAYING: "(In) 75 they had independence, 20 years after that they had something like 20 military coups and I think 2 invasions by mercenaries. So almost every year you had a military coup. So we thought the adoption of the Constitution and all of these other measures really laid a firm foundation for the people of Comoros to say that the long period of instability, military force and so on that period was over, that problems could be solved peacefully and through negotiations. I think it is very very unfortunate that this military action has now taken place because it takes the Comoros back again to the use of force to solve a problem which could very easily have been solved by negotiation." GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WATCHING MBEKI AND CAMEROON OFFICIALS ENTER A PRIVATE ROOM
  • Embargoed: 10th April 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA6VDGT15FXMSFTO2LMGUL8OIO2
  • Story Text: South African President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday criticised a military assault on the leader of a rebel island in the Comoros, saying the action could spur further instability in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
    The Comoros army, backed by African Union troops, launched a seaborne attack Tuesday to seize control of Anjouan and reunify the coup-prone nation.
    The island, one of three in the Comoros, broke away from the national government last year.

    "I think it is very very unfortunate that this military action has now taken place because it takes the Comoros back again to the use of force to solve a problem which could very easily have been solved by negotiation,"
    Mbeki told reporters in the South African capital Pretoria.
    Mbeki said he believed that an agreement could have been reached with Anjouan rebel leader Mohamed Bacar to resolve the impasse peacefully and added that South Africa would follow up with the African Union and the Comoros government on the matter.
    There have been some 20 coups or coup attempts in the Comoros since the archipelago won independence from France in 1975. Bacar had clung to power in Anjouan after winning a 2007 election that was deemed illegal.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register