Civil society observers accepted in the Joint Commission for peace talks – Mozambique

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Civil society observers accepted in the Joint Commission for peace talks – Mozambique

3:33 CAT | 05 Aug 2016

Notícias

The civil society panel proposed to monitor political dialogue for peace in Mozambique has responded with gratitude to the position expressed by the government Joint Commission delegation welcoming their presence at the negotiating table as observer and expecting their integration to be effected in time for the return of international mediators on August 8.

The civil society monitoring panel called a press conference in Maputo yesterday to express its satisfaction. According to panel spokesperson Paulo Samo Gudo, the greeting is also extended to the delegation of Renamo, whose position corresponded to its government counterpart.

The civil society panel reaffirms that the presence of civil society is relevant at the negotiating table and represents a sincere effort towards inclusion and mutual concession, an approach vital to securing a sustainable and lasting peace.

Civil society representatives say that levels of human rights violation engendered by the military tension in the country’s central region is turning the more than 25 million lives lived out there into a terrifying statistic where the right to life depends on party affiliation.

“Strangely, nowhere does the code of conduct set out in the terms of reference of the internal functioning of the Joint Commission consider the cessation of hostilities as an ethical priority and a basis for negotiations without blood. The good sense of the Joint Commission will undoubtedly agree that there is no nation without citizens, no peace without tolerance and no victory in a flag flown in mourning,” the panel’s press release reads.

The panel calls on the parties to institute a truce based on cessation of hostilities and mutual promotion of tolerance as the result of the negotiations and in favour of nobler national interests, “since the unfolding of this tension is sliding into a crimes of war situation, with the right to international appeal and the unbridled exploitation of national resources that the future may not be able to forgive”.

The panel’s position was made public after letters were sent to the head of state and the leader of Renamo, and to the heads of both the Frelimo and Renamo Joint Commission delegations dated 22 and 27 July.

The letters, had attached the final statement of the Youth Parliament “Think Mozambique” conference which resulted in the formation of the group and requested the integration of eight civil society observers at the dialogue sessions, as well as separate meetings with the heads of delegations.

Head of the Frelimo delegation, Jacinto Veloso, expressed “all friendliness with the purposes of the Youth Parliament and the postion expressed by the ‘Think Mozambique’ conference”, and promised to “speak to the counterpart in the Joint Commission to trying to identify the point at which the Youth Parliament will join the commission in the boardroom”.

A panel source said the Renamo delegation did not oppose the integration of civil society members in the commission.

Source: Notícias