S/PV.5226 Security Council

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 consideration 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 consideration 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 Security 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: (spoke in French) “The Security Council condemns with the utmost firmness the massacre of some 50 people, most of them women and children, which occurred on 9 July 2005 in Ntulu-Mamba, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The Security Council requests the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to establish the facts and report to the Council as quickly as possible. “The Security Council calls upon the Congolese authorities to prosecute and bring to justice expeditiously the perpetrators and those responsible for these crimes, and requests the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to provide all necessary support. The Council encourages the Congolese authorities to continue their efforts to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for human rights within their territory. “The Security Council stresses the need to bring to an end, particularly in the districts of Kivu and Ituri, attacks by armed groups on local populations, which not only cause further suffering to civilians but also threaten the stability of the entire region as well as the holding of elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Council calls upon the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda to abide by the commitment given in Rome, on 31 March 2005, to put an end to the armed conflict and to settle without further delay the issue of the repatriation of their combatants. “The Security Council reaffirms its full support for MONUC. It welcomes the robust actions MONUC is undertaking in pursuit of its mandate and the assistance it provides to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to improve security conditions for the population.” (spoke in English) This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2005/31. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.