[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               STATEMENT ON THE BAKASSI PENINSULA DISPUTE

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my 
colleagues an international dilemma that has been brought to my 
attention. There is a disturbing situation taking place that is 
seriously affecting the relations between the African nations of 
Cameroon and Nigeria. President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria promised 
several years ago to withdraw his troops from the Bakassi Peninsula in 
the Republic of Cameroon. President Obasanjo has yet to follow through 
on this arrangement. Not only has the Nigerian military remained in the 
Bakassi Peninsula, on June 17 and 18, there was an unfortunate violent 
incident that led to the death of a Cameroon soldier and the wounding 
of another. I call upon Nigeria to adhere to the International Court of 
Justice's decision and obey the rule of law by returning the Bakassi 
Peninsula to Cameroon, thereby finally putting an end to this ongoing 
dispute.
  I call upon President Obasanjo to withdraw Nigerian troops from the 
Bakassi Peninsula and return the territory to the Republic of Cameroon. 
The West African region is extremely volatile and has already 
experienced numerous conflicts and wars. I sincerely hope that both 
nations can reach an agreement in accordance with the decision set 
forth by the International Court of Justice and work together in 
establishing greater cooperation and stability. A genuine effort from 
both sides is needed to resolve this issue in a peaceful and timely 
manner and I anticipate the realization of this goal.

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