NEW YORK: THE Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) has retained Tanzania on its Formal Agenda, saying recent political dialogue and reconciliation efforts has provided a constructive basis for further progress.
The decision followed CMAG’s 74th extraordinary meeting in New York on Sunday, where the ministerial body held discussions with Tanzania’s Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Minister Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office John Palamagaba Kabudi.
In a concluding statement, CMAG said Tanzania’s cooperation with the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, engagement with political parties and steps towards reconciliation in Zanzibar had created a constructive basis for further progress.
CMAG said it will continue engaging Tanzania through its Formal Agenda as it monitors developments and progress in the country.
CMAG said the Secretary-General’s Good Offices remain an important mechanism for promoting the Commonwealth Charter’s political values, adding that the process should be conducted in a spirit of “partnership, mutual respect and full regard for the sovereignty of member countries.”
While acknowledging progress, the group encouraged further work to advance an inclusive and credibly facilitated inter-party process, protect civic, political and media freedoms, ensure fair, timely and transparent due process in outstanding cases and strengthen trusted processes for accountability, redress and appropriate compensation for those affected.
CMAG also encouraged the Tanzanian Government to commit to an early date for a visit by the Commonwealth Secretary-General to engage President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan and other stakeholders.
The development comes as Tanzania continues to engage international and regional partners on matters relating to peace, stability, dialogue and national cohesion.
The New York meeting was chaired by Malta’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Chris Fearne and attended by ministers and representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Botswana, Canada, Grenada, Malaysia, Mauritius, Samoa and Zambia.
During the meeting, CMAG observed a minute of silence in honour of Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who died on September 7 this year.
The group also commended the Commonwealth Secretariat for its “sustained efforts to support constructive dialogue and confidence-building across the Commonwealth family.”
CMAG is expected to hold its next regular meeting in November in Antigua and Barbuda on the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where it will also consider its biennial report to Commonwealth leaders.