S/PV.4410 Security Council

In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite The Honourable João Bernardo de Miranda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Angola and current Chairman of the Political Committee of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement; Mr. Térence Sinunguruza, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Burundi; Mr. Léonard She Okitundu, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; The Honourable Tuliameni Kalomoh, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting of Namibia; Mr. Patrick Mazimhaka, Special Envoy of the President of Rwanda; The Honourable James Wapakhabulo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda; The Honourable Keli S. Walubita, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia; and The Honourable Stanislaus I.G. Mudenge, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe, to take seats at the Council table. At the invitation of the President, Mr. de Miranda (Angola), Mr. Sinunguruza (Burundi), Mr. She Okitundu (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Mr. Kalomoh (Namibia), Mr. Mazimhaka (Rwanda), Mr. Wapakhabulo (Uganda), Mr. Walubita (Zambia) and Mr. Mudenge (Zimbabwe) took seats at the Council table.

In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Amos Namanga Ngongi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mr. Amadou Kébé, Permanent Observer of the Organization of African Unity/African Union, to take seats at the Council table. I invite Mr. Archibald M. Mogwe, representative of the facilitator for the inter-Congolese dialogue, to take a seat at the side of the Council Chamber. I invite Mr. Olivier Kamitatu, Secretary-General of the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC); Mr. Azarias Ruberwa, Secretary- General of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD- Goma); and Mr. Pashi-Claver, representative of the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Kisangani (RCD-K), to take seats at the Council table. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. I now give the floor to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan.

Let me first say how happy I am, Mr. President, to see you presiding over this meeting. Let me also welcome the Political Committee of the Lusaka Agreement. I hope that this meeting with the Security Council will enable all parties to agree to move forward together in the peace process. In my last report to the Council, I recommended that the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) be authorized to enter phase III of its deployment. For that deployment to succeed, however, the parties themselves must live up to their responsibilities. I would therefore like to reiterate some of my concerns. First and foremost, the fighting in the east of the country must stop. No one should give any further support to the armed groups that continue to fight in the east, and no one should take any further aggressive action against them. At the same time, everything possible must be done to create conditions that will encourage former combatants to return voluntarily to their homes, and enable them to be settled safely. (spoke in French) The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda must reach an understanding on the process of the disarmament, demobilization and repatriation of combatants, and on the creation of a coordination mechanism to facilitate a smooth transition from disarmament to reintegration. Kisangani must be demilitarized, in accordance with resolution 1304 (2000). I call on the Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD) to implement, without further delay, the measures proposed to that end by my Special Representative, Mr. Ngongi. It is also my intention to strengthen the military presence of MONUC in Kisangani in order to facilitate the demilitarization of that city. The deployment of MONUC at Kindu is aimed at creating a climate of security, encouraging the armed groups to disarm. I therefore note with concern the decision of the RCD and the Mouvement pour la libération du Congo (MLC) to establish a special joint force based at Kindu that would be in charge of tracking down and neutralizing all negative forces. Kindu must in no instance be used as a base for the launching of military operations. (spoke in English) The withdrawal of the Namibian troops and, also, many of the Ugandan troops from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is encouraging. I strongly urge the Angolan, Zimbabwean and Rwandan Governments to speed up preparations for the rapid withdrawal of their troops. The reopening of the River Congo and its tributaries is the most important single step that can now be taken to reunite the country and stimulate economic and social life. I call on all parties to help MONUC to do its part in achieving that objective, notably by dismantling checkpoints and removing any other remaining barriers to free movement. I urge members of the Political Committee, especially the Congolese parties, to support the neutral facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, Sir Ketumile Masire, and I welcome the willingness of the Government of South Africa to host the dialogue when it resumes. But the Congolese parties should not wait for this formal resumption. I hope they will continue to meet informally for constructive discussions on the country’s future. I would also urge the three Congolese parties to continue efforts to improve human rights within the areas they control. All those in authority have a duty to investigate alleged violations and to take appropriate action. The international community will judge them by the actions they take or fail to take. The Congolese parties must also facilitate access for those seeking to bring humanitarian relief to the suffering population in the areas they control. And finally, not enough is being done to address the plight of children, particularly those who have been inducted into the various armed forces. I urge all members of the Political Committee, especially the Congolese parties, to work with the United Nations Children’s Fund and my Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, as well as with MONUC’s child protection officers, to draw up and implement agreements on demobilizing child soldiers as soon as possible. The peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may be at a turning point. At stake is the reunification of the country after years of war. MONUC stands ready to make a decisive contribution by deploying to the East. As the Security Council prepares to take action on my recommendations, I call on the parties to fulfil their important responsibilities and so bring to completion the peace process they began in Lusaka more than two years ago.

I now have great pleasure in giving the floor to the Chairman of the Political Committee of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, the Honourable João Bernardo de Miranda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Angola.

It is a great honour for me to address this forum in my capacity as Chairman of the Political Committee of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. Allow me first to commend the initiative to convene this joint meeting with the members of the Security Council. Although this has become a routine practice, it is more important than ever today because it occurs on the eve of a decisive stage in the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the launching of phase III of the deployment of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). The fundamental reason for this meeting is to determine together how to ensure the maintenance and strengthening of the ceasefire, to achieve the disarmament and demobilization of the armed groups, to accelerate the withdrawal of foreign forces, to step up the internal dialogue and, most important, to contribute substantially to the restoration of peace and stability to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These tasks are crucial, urgent and unavoidable. Their successful implementation can make the difference between pursuing the path of lasting peace or returning to large-scale warfare and insecurity, not only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but in the Great Lakes region as a whole. The progress achieved to date in the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement raises hope and optimism for the effective completion of future stages. The most important of these advances has been the ceasefire. Despite some setbacks, which are very common in efforts of such complexity, the observation of the ceasefire by the parties demonstrates their will to end the war and to resolve their problems peacefully. It also shows that there can be no military solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are still concerned, however, by the ongoing military activities in parts of the country, particularly in the eastern Congo, involving the forces of some signatories to the Agreement and of others that are not parties to the ceasefire. If it continues, this situation may imperil the ceasefire and launch a new wave of hostilities. It is up to us to find an effective political solution to this problem. The solution should not be limited to the suspension of military aid to armed groups. We must also provide the conditions and guarantees for disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and full reintegration of all armed groups living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A positive step in this direction was the recent measure announced by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to disarm about 3,000 former Burundian combatants now living in Kamina. We praise this step, which is so propitious for the Lusaka Agreement. It is very important to emphasize that the combatants must see an alternative to war. They must be encouraged to abandon their weapons and return to their land. They must be given effective guarantees of physical integrity and a prospect of social reintegration for themselves and their families. With the completion of the disengagement and force deployment, despite minor problems that have arisen, the total withdrawal of Namibian forces and the partial withdrawal of Angolan, Ugandan and Zimbabwean forces now under way, the basis has been established for phase III of MONUC deployment. The Political Committee will take the necessary measures to ensure that all signatories fulfil, totally and in good faith, the obligations freely undertaken to make peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a fact. In this context, I welcome the Secretary- General’s recommendation to the Security Council that it authorize the start of phase III in accordance with the MONUC report. I also appeal to the members of the Council to support this recommendation so as to allow the broadening of MONUC operations throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This would build trust among all the parties involved. The Political Committee also understands that the future phases of the ceasefire agreement process, especially the full withdrawal of foreign forces, will require the further involvement of the United Nations to accelerate the return of peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is therefore necessary to reflect on the need for the Council to authorize the deployment of a peacekeeping force in that country. The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have suffered for a long time, and continue to suffer from the effects of a devastating conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of its children, destroyed its economy and infrastructure, and spread misery among most of its population. Sixteen million of its people are now dependent on emergency food assistance. We must allow the Congolese themselves to resolve their own internal problems, achieve genuine national reconciliation, rebuild their economy and establish a democratic society in peaceful coexistence with its neighbours in accordance with the principles and norms of international law. For that to happen, all States must respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The difficulties arising in the inter-Congolese national dialogue show that certain problems have not been taken into account. We hope that the preparation of the work of Durban will take into account all pending questions so that the national dialogue will in fact be all-inclusive and fruitful. To summarize, I would like to express my conviction that there is a great need for a return to peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It will allow the transformation of the Central Africa region into a zone of peace, security and cooperation, which is a sine qua non for the harmonious development of that region’s countries. To reach this dream, the international community and the Security Council in particular have a very important role to play. I must also take advantage of this occasion to praise the commitment of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and his Special Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Namanga Ngongi, the head of MONUC, General Diallo, and the head of the Joint Military Commission, General Mwaniki, to bring peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We also praise the efforts made by all parties that led to the co-location of MONUC and the Joint Military Commission in Kinshasa, the capital of the country.

I now propose to make a statement as President of the Council. It is my honour to preside over this meeting of the Security Council with the Political Committee of the Lusaka Agreement on a framework for peace. On behalf of the Council, I extend a cordial welcome to the Ministers and representatives of Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the Organization of African Unity; the facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue; the Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo; the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD)-Goma; RCD-Kisangani; and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are very pleased that the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has been able to join us at this very important meeting. His presence and his contribution here confirm the importance that the Security Council and the Secretary-General place on bringing peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the countries of the Great Lakes region — indeed, to all of Africa, and thereby to the entire global community. Jamaica regards it as a privilege to chair this meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, given our historic bonds and heritage. Over 80 per cent of the Jamaican population springs from African descent, and we therefore share a special affinity with both the problems and the aspirations of Africa. On 7 September last year, the Security Council Summit issued a declaration in which we committed ourselves to ensuring “an effective role for the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in Africa”. (resolution 1318 (2000), annex, first paragraph) In my contribution on that occasion, I stressed that in fulfilling our “charge to maintain international peace and security, this Council must impact on the lives of people, changing their despair to hope and liberating them from conflict.” (S/PV.4194, pp. 15-16) We expressed our deep concern for the devastating effects of conflicts on the humanitarian conditions of the civilian population, particularly women and children. Nowhere has this been more prevalent than in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a stated objective of Jamaica’s presidency of the Security Council during the month of November to advance peace in all areas of the world and to give special attention to the conflicts besetting the African continent. I am therefore very privileged to preside over this meeting in furtherance of an important objective of Jamaica’s membership of the Council. At the time of our meeting last September, the prospects for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region were on the distant horizon. Since then, considerable progress has been made, and the Security Council has played a major role in support of the peace process. The Security Council mission to the region earlier this year was an important milestone on the road to peace. The deployment of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) throughout that country has continued to have an important effect on the peace process, and the concept of operations for the deployment of phase III of MONUC, which has been provided by the Secretary-General, is now under serious consideration by the Security Council. Today, the Security Council meets with you, our partners, in order to consolidate the gains we have achieved and to provide further impetus for making lasting peace a reality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Great Lakes region. It is part of an ongoing dialogue between the Security Council and the regional leaders to explore ways in which the Security Council and countries within the region can sustain momentum for the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have witnessed some positive changes in the political landscape of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region. We must continue to build on them. Yesterday, the Council met with the representatives of the countries of the Regional Peace Initiative on Burundi, of which most of those invited to join us today are members. We discussed the prospects for the implementation of the Arusha Peace Agreement in that country. It is undeniable that there are common interlinkages between the conflicts in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For this reason, a solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must be pursued at a regional level, in a holistic and comprehensive manner. In that regard, our meeting today is taking note of the Secretary-General’s suggestion that the time has come for the parties to explore ways of associating Burundi more closely with the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In our meeting today, we must seek to pay close attention to some key issues which must be resolved in order to realize sustainable peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the Great Lakes region. First, there must be a credible plan for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration or resettlement of the former combatants, especially of the so-called negative forces. In particular, we call on all States to cease support for armed groups operating in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and call for a cessation of all hostilities throughout the country. As MONUC deploys further eastward, it is critical that the armed groups comply with and fully implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as the Lusaka Agreement. Secondly, there is a need for a comprehensive plan for the full withdrawal of all foreign forces from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in accordance with the Lusaka Agreement and the relevant Security Council resolutions. It is imperative that all parties provide MONUC with the necessary information, as is their obligation under the relevant agreements. Thirdly, the failure to demilitarize Kisangani remains an obstacle to peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This Council must insist on compliance with its resolutions. So we reiterate our call on all parties to ensure that this issue be settled without further delay. Fourthly, while progress has been made in the preparatory stages of the inter-Congolese dialogue, the parties must renew their commitments to the political process, and the international community must give its full support. The determining of the political future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the people themselves must remain a priority if there is to be a lasting peace. The commitment of all parties to a political process which will enable the widest possible participation of all groups is a first essential step towards the achievement of a democratic and inclusive system of Government, which we regard as a prerequisite to lasting peace. Fifthly, we must pursue in earnest the commitments made to address the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and seek ways to ensure that revenue from these resources is channelled into the economic and social development of the country for the benefit of all its people. Let us use this opportunity to build on the partnership between the Security Council and the United Nations as a whole, and the countries of the region. Let us use this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the cause of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region. The positive steps which we have taken so far must be reinforced by our renewed commitment to peace. We owe it to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that sustainable peace is achieved. In accordance with the understanding reached in our prior consultations, I shall adjourn this meeting now and invite the Council members and all invitees to attend the private meeting five minutes from now.