After Malawi President Joyce Banda on Tuesday said the mediation process in the Malawi-Tanzania dispute over Lake Malawi was compromised at the Forum for Former African Heads of State and Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has leapt to redeem the situation by saying government has faith in the mediation.
The ministry said in a statement released on Saturday Malawi has trust and confidence in the integrity of the Forum and believes the matter would be handled with professionalism and objectivity.
“Malawi is more than committed to finding an amicable and lasting solution to the lake boundary dispute with Tanzania through peaceful dialogue and diplomatic efforts. This is why Malawi gladly resorted to the mediation on the matter by the Forum, which is being chaired by His Excellency Joaquim Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique,” reads the statement.
The ministry said government wrote Chissano raising concerns about the possibility of the mediation being compromised by the participation of a Tanzanian national who is executive secretary of the Forum.
Banda told a media conference in Lilongwe on Tuesday on her return from a two-week trip to the UK, Botswana and US that she doubted the mediation process following revelations that the executive secretary of the Forum had leaked Malawi’s position paper to his country.
She suggested that Malawi would refer the matter to the International Court of Justice.
