President Paul Biya and peers from around the world ended their summit in the Swiss resort of Montreux yesterday with a clear resolve to ensure a greater role for the Francophonie.

Some 38 Heads of State and government as well as high-level delegation leaders from 32 other countries ended the 13th summit of the Francophonie in Montreux, Switzerland, on saturday with a clear resolve to get the world’s French-speaking countries play a bigger role in the conduct of world affairs.

Some 38 Heads of State and government as well as high-level delegation leaders from 32 other countries ended the 13th summit of the Francophonie in Montreux, Switzerland, on saturday with a clear resolve to get the world’s French-speaking countries play a bigger role in the conduct of world affairs. On paper, that looks a little difficult, especially as the Francophonie membership is drawn essentially from the poor counties, notably in Africa. But, infact, at Montreux, they found one great advocate of that course in the person of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In his address at the opening session of the summit, he took a very clear posture of one ready to take the francophone cause to where ever possible. He announced to the summit that he was going to take advantage of the French presidency of the G-20 and G-8 starting in the days ahead to press forth, not only the Francophonie cause, but a greater role for the developing nations. He questioned the wisdom in expecting peace across the world when numerous important actors were left out of the decision-making process and drew thunderous applause when he said the time had come for the African continent to provide a candidate for a seat on the UN Security Council. In the same manner, he suggested that Latin America be given the same consideration while the economic might of Japan and Germany and the demographic strength of India made them potential candidates for the Security Council membership. Mr Sarkozy, who is leader of the sole Francophone country with a seat in the Council, had arrived in Montreux barely minutes before the opening of the summit in a French military helicopter and was visibly seen to be given the respect and consideration of the main provider of funds for the International Organisation of the Francophonie with its membership of 70 nations or national communities among which are 56 full members and 14 observers spanning the five continents. With the tone set by Mr Sarkozy, the determination to get the body into a more proactive posture in international politics could only be evident. And there are arguments to show, least of which is not the one-third membership of the UN and the charisma of the current Secretary-General of the organization and Senegal’s former President Abdou Diouf.

It was probably in the effort to manifest this new strength that several speakers at the opening ceremony indirectly expressed their support for a second four-year term for Mr Diouf. In fact, the election scheduled for yesterday Sunday shortly before the closing ceremony, was brought back to Saturday. The outgoing Secretary-General got a clean sheet of approval from the summit and is being endowed with the responsibility of giving the Francophonie, this new thrust in international politics.

President Biya’s Summit

The President of the Republic and the First Lady played central roles during the Montreux summit

To use an image, one can easily say Cameroon was felt in sound and physical presence during the just-ended summit of the Francophonie in Montreux by the very presence of the Presidential couple. “Ce sont certainement des Camerounais”, was an anonymous voice we heard from a crowd gathered at the entrance into the Montreux Palace hotel as one man referred to the crowd of militant Africans waiting at the entrance into the hotel. He was overheard saying that only Cameroonians usually brave odds to come to receive their President wherever he goes. And indeed it was true. Braving the most difficult security measures in place, several Cameroonians were present at the hotel entrance when the Presidential couple drove in from Geneva last Friday evening (see separate story).

After a quiet night in Montreux, President Biya and the First Lady were up quickly for duty Saturday morning. Shortly after 10 a.m, they left the hotel for the congress centre some 150 metres across the street. On their way to the centre, they stopped several times to greet primary school children who lined up to greet the various delegation leaders. The press hadn’t access into the congress hall but from a giant screen in the press centre in an adjoining facility, one could observe that the President of the Swiss Confederation, Doris Leuthard and the IOF Secretary-General Abdou Diouf and his wife, Elisabeth were on the welcome line. A lengthy hug between Biya and Diouf left no one in doubt about an age-old friendship going back to the time Diouf was President of Senegal (1981 to 2000). The President was then led to his seat to the left of President Sarkozy and to the right of his Chadian counterpart Idriss Déby. Mrs Chantal Biya had, in the meantime, been taken to a corner reserved for First Spouses.

Forum for Proposals

When the President of the Republic was invited to take the floor, he insisted on one of his most cherished themes, namely, international solidarity. With specific reference to the Francophonie, President Biya suggested that the body’s growing influence in the world should, as of necessity, make it an important forum of international relations. He said the body must take its rightful place in world governance, a position many other leaders took when they addressed the summit and in reference to the fact that francophone countries account for one-third of the membership of the United Nations organization.

Later in the evening, the presidential couple joined other guests at an official dinner offered for participating delegations by the Swiss Federal Council at the Montreux Palace hotel.

Yesterday morning, the President of the Republic received in audience, the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mrs Doris Leuthard. The Georgian President told the press after the first audience that lasted some 30 minutes, that he was very impressed with the deep knowledge President Biya had of his country and the entire region. He said it didn’t take him long to discover that the Cameroonian leader could be a very good friend indeed. “I feel very impressed with the President after this meeting,” he told the press.

Mrs Leuthard who was received shortly afterwards, told the press that they discussed the future of the Francophonie. She said with regard to Cameroon, she availed herself of the opportunity to congratulate President Biya on the efforts he has initiated to improve democracy, the fight against corruption and the diversification of the economy. “We fully support the President in this strategy and encourage him to go further,” the Swiss companies are ready to invest in Cameroon as part of the strategy to provide jobs for the youth.

Nkendem FORBINAKE