S/PV.4548 Security Council

As this is the first meeting of the Security Council for the month of June, I should like to take the opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to Mr. Kishore Mahbubani, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of May 2002. Our thanks go also to all his colleagues in the Permanent Mission of Singapore. I am sure that I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Mahbubani for the great diplomatic skill with which he conducted the Council’s business last month. Tribute to the memory of Ambassador Joseph Nanven Garba, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and President of the General Assembly

On behalf of the members of the Security Council, I should like to express profound grief and sorrow at the death of Joseph Nanven Garba, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and President of the General Assembly at its forty-fourth session. Mr. Garba also served with distinction as Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid for five years until 1989. Mr. Garba dedicated his entire life to his country, to Africa and to the cause of peace. His loss will be greatly felt by us all. On behalf of the Security Council, I should like to convey to the Government and the people of Nigeria and to the bereaved family the Council’s deep condolences. Adoption of the agenda

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided.

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. After consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: “The Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the acts of intimidation and unfounded public statements against the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), in particular attempts by the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie-Goma (RCD-Goma) to ‘ban’ the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the ‘expulsion’ of several MONUC and other United Nations personnel from areas under its control. It reaffirms its full support for the Special Representative and for the dedicated staff of MONUC. “The Security Council stresses that these unjustifiable attacks are directly contrary to the process of peace and national reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to RCD- Goma’s interest. “The Security Council reiterates its condemnation of the killings and attacks against civilians and soldiers that followed the events that took place on 14 May and thereafter in Kisangani and looks forward to receiving the joint MONUC/UNHCR report and recommendations on the violence in Kisangani. The Council holds RCD-Goma, as de facto authority, responsible to bring to an end to all extrajudicial executions, human rights violations and arbitrary harassment of civilians in Kisangani and all other areas under RCD-Goma’s control. “The Security Council demands that RCD- Goma immediately: cease its harassment of United Nations officials and assist with the deployment and operations of MONUC; fully cooperate with all investigations of violence in Kisangani and the surrounding areas; and comply with all relevant resolutions of the Security Council, in particular by demilitarizing Kisangani. “The Security Council calls upon Rwanda to exert its influence to have RCD-Goma meet without delay all its obligations under the resolutions of the Security Council and this presidential statement. “The Security Council encourages the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC) and RCD-Goma to hold new discussions as soon as possible and in good faith, taking into account the progress in the inter- Congolese dialogue achieved in Sun City, in order to reach an all-inclusive agreement on the political transition. In this respect, the Council supports the efforts of the newly appointed Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the inter-Congolese dialogue, Mr. Mustapha Niasse.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2002/19. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.