NAN-H-87
Agreement
By Isaac Aregbesola
Abuja, Aug. 10, 2017 (NAN) Zambian President Edgar Lungu and opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema have agreed to engage in a peaceful dialogue to address the country’s political tensions, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has said.
A statement by Communications Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat, Natricia Duncan, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja quoted Scotland as saying this in Zambia after a meeting with the stakeholders.
Scotland explained that the agreement by the two leaders followed extensive consultations with Scotland, who arrived in the country on Sunday as part of a peace and relationship building tour of Africa.
According to her, she held consultations with President Lungu, church leaders, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Patrick Matibini, cabinet ministers, Mr Hichilema and other senior officials of his party.
She said that she also met with the Electoral Commission of Zambia and members of the Commonwealth diplomatic community in Zambia.
The Secretary-General said the Zambian president and the leader of the opposition had agreed to “a process of dialogue”, establishing a roadmap of reforms in preparation of the 2021 elections.
Scotland said that they had also agreed to work toward a peaceful resolution and boosting “public confidence in their commitment to a constructive, progressive and responsible engagement”.
She said that the dialogue and the reform roadmap would be facilitated by the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s office and key national stakeholders.
“At the beginning of my tenure as secretary-general, I decided to establish a new approach to democracy and governance support.
“So visiting Zambia at this crucial time was a priority for me, because this is where we essentially launched this new integrated approach to supporting peaceful elections and other democratic processes.
“This approach entails providing support to member states before, during and after elections,” said the Secretary-General.
Scotland said that she appointed a Nigerian, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, as her envoy before Zambia’s 2016 general elections with a mandate to work with the Electoral Commission of Zambia to help support peaceful dialogue.
She said that she also deployed an observer group for the elections and “is now pleased to support the government and the opposition to address issues of mutual interest.’’
“I was able to build on the work of dedicated church leaders, other international representatives and the diplomatic community.
“I am delighted that we have been able to come to an agreement to work together to strengthen peace and democracy in Zambia as we move forward,” she said.
Scotland added that she was in the process of assigning a peace envoy to the country.
She said that the envoy would facilitate “the critical and peaceful dialogue and reforms that are necessary for Zambia to preserve its status as a beacon of peace and good governance in Africa.”(NAN)
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Edited by Grace Yussuf