00:01Gabon and Equatorial Guinea resolved a 50-year dispute on Tuesday, signing an agreement over three tiny islands in the
00:09Gulf of Guinea.
00:11They agreed to abide by a legal ruling recognizing Malibu's sovereignty over the islands and their potentially oil-rich waters.
00:25I would like to place on record that the signing of this agreement does not imply or constitute the commencement
00:32of the reopening
00:33or the continuation of new litigation proceedings concerning the matter which has already been definitively resolved by the International Court
00:42of Justice.
00:48Gabon hopes that the signing of this agreement will usher in a new era of cooperation with Equatorial Guinea
00:55and serve as an example to our continent of the peaceful resolution of disputes based on the rule of law,
01:04dialogue, mutual respect and wisdom.
01:09The ceremony took place at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.
01:14The AU's chairperson also signed the agreement and welcomed the resolution of the border dispute.
01:24I would like to take this opportunity to thank our two heads of state,
01:29His Excellency Mr. Teodoro Obiang Ngema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Guinea,
01:36and His Excellency Mr. Brice Clotaire Oligi Ngema, President of the Gabonese Republic,
01:43for their leadership and wisdom in resolving this border dispute through dialogue,
01:47a dispute that has gone on for far too long.
01:53The spat dated back to 1900 when then-colonial powers France and Spain signed a treaty setting out the borders
02:01between the two countries.
02:04The spat
02:04of the European Union is a great deal of cooperation with the United States.
02:06The European Union is a great deal of cooperation with the European Union and the European Union.
