Sarkozy Invites Biya to France to Defrost Bilateral Relations

By Christopher Ambe Shu

The apparent icy relationship between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Paul Biya may be getting warm.
President Sarkozy, widely believed by political observers not to be too friendly towards President Biya who has ruled Cameroon for over 26 years, has, at long last, extended an official invitation to the Cameroonian president to visit France this summer ,for a yet -to -be disclosed agenda.

Picture: Presidents Sarkozy and Biya{Elysee}
But pundits think that Sarkosy now wants to voice out on democratic reforms inCameroon,which have been subject of public criticism.

Sarkozy, who hates dictatorship, is said to be unhappy with Biya’s luke warm attitude towards carrying out genuine political and democratic reforms.
The Cameroonian president early last year influenced the amendment of the country’s constitution which scrapped off presidential term limit, by using his ruling CPDM party’s crushing majority in Parliament against popular protests.
And last December he appointed several CPDM members into ELECAM, the body that’s supposed to organize all elections in Cameroon, whereas the law calls for the appointment of neutral personalities. That act of Biya again drew sharp criticisms from within and out of the Cameroon especially Western Democracies.

Cameroon, a former French and British colony, is quite rich in natural resources. For example, Cameroon’s Bakassi peninsula, which projects in to the Gulf of Guinea is believed to contain up to 10% of the world’s oil and gas reserves.
France has huge investments and interests in this Central African Country and has maintained close relations with it for decades

But relations between both presidents are reportedly icy.

Should Biya honor Sarkozy’s invitation, then that would revive and deepen French-Cameroonian ties, as well as between both leaders
Biya first paid an official visit to France after Sarkozy was elected President in May 2007, but against high expectations Cameroon was dropped from a list of African countries President Sarkozy plans to visit not long from now.

Alain Joyandet, French Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophonie was last Tuesday in Cameroon and was warmly received in audience at Unity Palace (Cameroon Presidency) by the Cameroonian President, during which he extended Sarkozy’s invitation to Biya.

But it was not clear whether Biya, who had since be expecting Sarkozy to also visit Cameroon, readily accepted the offer
After the audience with Biya which lasted about an hour, the French Cooperation Minster told journalists that, their discussion centered on Franco -Cameroonian ties, which he described as good.
Joyandet who was in Cameroon for two-day visit, also announced the visit of Francois Fillon, French Prime Minister to Cameroon in the near future