Tehran declaration
28 May 1997
From 9 to 16 April and from 22 to 28 May 1997 the final round of the inter-Tajik negotiations on national reconciliation was held in Tehran under United Nations auspices. The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan (RT) was headed by Mr. T. Nazarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the RT. The delegation of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) was headed by Mr. A. Turajonzoda, First Deputy Leader of the UTO. Mr. G. Merrem, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Tajikistan, served as mediator during the negotiations.
Representatives of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) took part in the negotiations as observers. The two stages of the final Tehran round of negotiations produced remarkable progress: agreement was reached on most of the provisions of the Protocol on Political Issues which was signed at the meeting of President of the RT, E. Rakhmonov and the Leader of the UTO, A. Nuri in Bishkek on 18 May 1997, as well as the Protocol on the Guarantees of Implementation of the General Agreement on Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan was agreed and signed.
The Protocol on the Guarantees registers an important agreement of the observer States at the inter-Tajik talks to act as political and moral guarantors of implementation of the General Agreement by the Tajik parties in a comprehensive manner and good faith. In this context, the Tajik parties expressed the desirability of meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Dushanbe and agreed to include in the Protocol a provision about the establishment in Dushanbe of a Contact Group which would be made up of the Ambassador of the observer States accredited there or of Specially appointed representatives, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Tajikistan, the Head of OSCE Mission in Tajikistan and a representative of the OIC. The Protocol on the Guarantees provides for an important role for the United Nations and the OSCE in the process of implementation of the General Agreement which is also regarded as a serious guarantee of its full implementation. At the same time, the delegations of the Government of the RT and the UTO expressed clearly their political position in the Protocol by having included a provision stating that the most important guarantees of implementation of the General Agreement were their good will and commitment to achieving peace and national accord in the country.
In view of the successful conclusion of the inter-Tajik negotiations on peace and national accord, the delegation of the UTO, in the course of the second stage of the Tehran round, raised an issue with regard to the future of the Collective peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Tajikistan, their role and functions. In this connection, the delegation of the Government of the RT stated that the consideration of these issues raised by the UTO delegation was beyond the competence of the inter-Tajik talks.
In connection with the successful conclusion of the inter-Tajik negotiating process, the delegations of the Government of the RT and the UTO, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, note with profound satisfaction and sincere gratitude that since June 1994 the hospitable capital of Iran has hosted four rounds of the inter-Tajik talks and two full-fledged rounds of consultations with the participation of the delegations of both parties and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. One can also hardly overstate the significance for the peace process of two meetings between President of the RT, E. Rakhmonov and the Leader of the UTO, A. Nuri that took place in July 1995 in Tehran and in February 1997 in Mashhad. On 17 September 1994 in Tehran visible advance towards peace and national accord in Tajikistan began when the two Tajik sides signed the Agreement on a Temporary ceasefire and the Cessation of other hostile Acts on the Tajik-Afghan Border and within the country. Another important milestone was the signing in Tehran on 13 January 1997 of the Protocol on Refugee-related issues. Today's signing of the Protocol on the Guarantees concludes successfully the inter-Tajik negotiating process. In this context, the delegations of the Government of the RT and the UTO, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, express their heartfelt gratitude to the Government and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran for their unflagging hospitality, assistance and support rendered in the course of a long and difficult search for the peace formula for Tajikistan. The sincere appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Iran is shared by the entire people of Tajikistan.
The delegations of the Government of RT and the UTO express their profound gratitude to the representatives of the observer States and observer international organizations at the inter-Tajik talks for the support given during the current round of negotiations and their agreement to act as political and moral guarantors of implementation of the General Agreement.
The delegations of the Government of RT and the UTO express their sincere appreciation to Mr. G. Merrem, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his valuable and tireless efforts that facilitated the successful conclusion of the negotiations.
Talbak Nazarov, Head of the Delegation of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan
Khoja Akbar Turajonzodah, Head of the Delegation of the United Tajik Opposition
Gerd Dietrich Merrem, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Tajikistan
28 May 1997, Tehran
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