L. Malawi mediators push for talks resumption
Regional mediators in the Lake Malawi wrangle between Malawi and Tanzania are pushing for the negotiations to resume after a year of stalemate, Weekend Nation understands.
The mediators—former Mozambican President Joachim Chissanu and former South African President Thambo Mbeki—are expected to meet Tanzanian Peresident John Magufuli after they recently met President Peter Mutharika.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Francis Kasaila confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that the mediators came to ask Malawi to return to the negotiating table.
The negotiations stalled a year ago as the two countries disagreed on a number of issues, including the question of who owns the lake.
Tanzania and Malawi agreed in November 2012 to appoint an international mediator to resolve a long-running border dispute over Lake Malawi, thought to sit over rich oil and gas reserves.
Malawi claims sovereignty over the entire Lake Malawi, Africa’s third-largest lake, while Tanzania says it is entitled to 50 percent of the northern part of the lake.
The dispute, which dates back to more than 50 years ago, threatens to sour relations between the two neighbouring countries both of which also belong to Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) and Common Market for Eastern and Souther Africa (Comesa) regional groupings.
In 2013, Malawi pulled out of talks after it accused its neighbour of intimidating Malawi fishermen. Tanzania denied the accusation.
Kasaila said he was hopeful the talks will resume soon.
“Malawi will wait for the results of the outcome of the talks between the mediators and Magufuli to move forward. But we are ready for the negotiation process,” Kasaila said.
Last year Malawi government wrote the mediators, informing them that while it accepts resource-sharing as part of the solution to the dispute, the legal question of who owns the lake must be determined first.
Malawi also wants Tanzania to withdraw a map that shows the border line passing in the middle of the disputed lake.
Gas findings off Tanzania and Mozambique have led to predictions the region could become the third largest exporter of natural gas on the planet.
