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Congo (Kinshasa): Security Council
Congo (Kinshasa): Security Council
Date distributed (ymd): 000126
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Central Africa
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +security/peace+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains excerpts from remarks at the special
Security Council meetings on the conflict in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. The full text of these remarks and other
related documents can be found on the UN web site at
http://www.un.org/News
Another posting today contains a related report from the World
Policy Institute.
For additional references, visit the Africa Policy web site
(http://www.africapolicy.org). The new search engine on the
site (http://www.africapolicy.org/search.htm) provides a
rapid and efficient way to find additional documents.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
24 January 2000
Press Release SG/SM/7284 SC/6790
Secretary-General, Addressing Security Council, Urges African
Leaders to Strengthen "fragile" Peace Process in Democratic
Republic of Congo (excerpts)
When war again erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
in August 1998, barely a year had elapsed since the end of the
country's previous conflict, which itself had followed decades
of dictatorship and misrule. In succeeding months, violence
intensified. Human rights violations multiplied. ... The
entire subregion has been engulfed in a crisis of such
complexity that it continues to defy our best efforts to
resolve it. ...
In July last year, a mediation effort led by President Chiluba
of Zambia on behalf of the Southern Africa Development
Community, and with the support of the Organization of
African Unity (OAU), resulted in the signing of the Lusaka
peace agreement. Since then, however, there have been many
ceasefire violations, which have caused fresh suffering. The
deployment of United Nations military liaison officers has
been obstructed, undermining confidence in the implementation
process. The belligerents must do better.
The Lusaka Agreement remains the most viable blueprint for
resolving grievances and achieving a comprehensive negotiated
solution. But if peace is to take hold, and if international
engagement is to be sustained, the warring parties face a
paramount challenge: they need to demonstrate the political
will to apply the agreement fully, without further delay. All
else flows from this essential requirement.
Ultimately, we will only find a sustainable solution to this
crisis if we address its root causes. That is why the drafters
of the Lusaka Agreement placed inter-Congolese negotiations at
the heart of the process. This dialogue is indispensable. The
Congolese signatories, with the assistance of the OAU, have
taken an encouraging first step in designating Sir Ketumile
Masire, former president of Botswana, as the neutral
facilitator for these negotiations. His prestige, expertise
and moral authority can help reinvigorate the Lusaka process.
...
If the United Nations is to make the right kind of difference
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and avoid the wrong
turns that have led to tragic consequences elsewhere, we must
be ready not only to act, but to act in a way that is
commensurate with the gravity of this situation.
Whether that means intense political engagement, a sustained
commitment of resources or decisive action in the face of
unforeseen circumstances, we must see this involvement
through.
At the same time, we must guard against creating inflated
expectations of what can be realistically expected from the
United Nations. And we must never lose sight of our central
dependence on the compliance of the parties involved. ... the
parties themselves bear primary responsibility for adhering to
commitments and creating the conditions conducive to progress.
Time is of the essence. By their presence here, at today's
meeting and tomorrow's "mini-summit", the leaders in this room
have a chance to reaffirm their commitment to the Lusaka
Agreement. ... The United Nations is here to help. But the
United Nations has also had bitter experience of help gone
wrong. This has made Member States profoundly uneasy and
raised the threshold of persuasion for new involvements, even
when suffering claims our attention and solidarity demands
that we act. If this is an illness of our international
system, leadership can provide an antidote.
Your challenge is to reach consensus with each other, and
transform that consensus into action. This will lay the
groundwork for progress on your own. Just as important, it
will offer a convincing argument in favour of the
international support that Africa merits and which can help
bring about a decisive change for the better.
Press Release SC/6789 24 January 2000
(brief excerpts from 90K document)
Call for Support for Lusaka Agreement,
Speedy Establishment of UN Peacekeeping Mission
Seven African Heads of State addressed the Security Council's
day-long meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo
today, stressing the need for resolute international support
for the peace process and for speedy establishment of a United
Nations peacekeeping mission in that country. ...
Frederick J.T. Chiluba, President of Zambia, said resolution
of the conflict should not be an "us-versus-them" situation.
The parties to the conflict, and its immediate victims, might
be African, and the Ceasefire Agreement might have been signed
by Africans, but it was not "their" conflict or "their"
Agreement. ... If the implementation of the Ceasefire
Agreement failed, it would be a failure of each and every
Member State. ...
In her opening remarks, Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of
State of the United States, as President of the Council, said
her country was providing $1 million to assist the work of the
Joint Military Commission. "We will work with Congress to
provide $1 million this year to the former President of
Botswana Ketumile Masire's efforts to facilitate the
Congolese national dialogue", she added. ...
The Secretary-General [in his report] concludes that the
deployment of additional United Nations military personnel
should contribute to restoring momentum for the implementation
of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. ... The Secretary-General
states that, in view of its essential role, the Joint Military
Commission must be established soon on a permanent basis, so
that it can react swiftly to events and provide credible and
authoritative decisions. .... Designation in December of the
former President of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire, as the
neutral facilitator for the inter-Congolese dialogue has
elevated the prospect that the rest of the Lusaka peace
process will now be implemented, with the assistance of the
OAU. On 11 December 1999, the Secretary-General's Special
Representative, Kamel Morjane (Tunisia), assumed his duties in
Kinshasa.
Regional efforts and initiatives undertaken in support of the
peace process, including those by heads of State in the
region, are to be commended, the Secretary-General states.
Provided the parties agree to take the necessary steps, he
recommends the deployment of four reinforced protected
infantry battalion groups, accompanied by up to 500 military
observers, two marine companies and the supporting military
personnel and equipment, and the additional civilian personnel
required. Until full deployment of a United Nations force, the
role of the Joint Military Commission will remain crucial.
In order to permit the Joint Military Commission to fulfil its
functions, the Secretary-General appeals to donors to provide
the resources necessary to support its operations. ... in
order to be effective, any United Nations peacekeeping mission
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo would require the
deployment of thousands of international troops and civilian
personnel.
It would face tremendous difficulties and risks. Despite the
fact that the deployment of a MONUC peacekeeping operation
might create inflated and unrealistic expectations, the Lusaka
Ceasefire Agreement remains the best hope for the resolution
of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and,
for the time being, the only prospect of achieving it.
With the renewed commitment of the parties to the Lusaka
Agreement, fully supported by the international community,
diplomatic efforts may yet succeed in resolving the crisis,
the Secretary-General states. If the Agreement is to be
carried out as signed, the formidable tasks expected of the
United Nations will need to be carefully evaluated. In
particular, it will be necessary to reflect on the question of
the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the armed
groups in order to develop a realistic plan of action.
The United Nations can play an important role if it receives
the necessary mandate and resources, the Secretary-General
continues. A large-scale United Nations peacekeeping operation
would provide assistance in the disengagement and withdrawal
of combatant forces; provide security for the operations of
United Nations military personnel; and work towards eventual
disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former
combatants, including the armed groups identified in the
Lusaka Agreement. ...
Regarding financial aspects of the situation, the
Secretary-General reports ... commitment authorities
totalling $41 million for the United Nations preliminary
deployment in the subregion and for the establishment and
maintenance of MONUC for the period from 6 August 1999 to 1
March 2000. That amount includes the funds necessary for
equipping 500 military observers and an additional 100
civilian support personnel, ...
FREDERICK J.T.CHILUBA, President of Zambia:
According to the calendar for the implementation of the
Ceasefire Agreement, which the parties had agreed upon, most
of the activities should have been completed by this time,
including the inter-Congolese national dialogue, establishment
of new institutions and disarmament of armed groups.
Deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping mission would
long have begun and the orderly withdrawal of foreign forces
from the Democratic Republic would be in its final stages of
completion. However, it was common knowledge that the
implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement was way behind
schedule in almost all respects. ...
One of the major causes of the delay in implementing the
Ceasefire Agreement had been lack of funds for the Joint
Military Commission, he continued. The pledged contributions
by the international community had not been adequate. Worse
still, most of the pledged contributions were yet to be made
available to the Commission. ...
He was very concerned when he heard about what appeared to be
preconditions being raised in regard to the Democratic
Republic, he continued. The international community was
reluctant to send peacekeepers to the Democratic Republic,
unless the Lusaka Agreement registered "a perfect score on
some performance chart". No other ceasefire agreement had been
subjected to that test. There was no peacekeeping that did not
involve some degree of risk. He was not suggesting that the
international community should indulge in reckless adventure
in the name of peacekeeping. It was incumbent on all, and in
particular the parties to the conflict, that the peacekeepers
were given all necessary support and protection. ...
JOAQUIM ALBERTO CHISSANO, President of Mozambique, said that
a durable solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo required strong concerted action from the
subregion, the continent and the international community as a
whole. ...
The SADC believed that the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement remained
the only valid instrument for a peaceful settlement of the
conflict in the Democratic Republic, he said. The ceasefire in
the Democratic Republic was fragile and sensitive. Any
solution for the conflict demanded a strong and structured
partnership between the United Nations, the OAU and the SADC.
The international community should not wait for a perfect
ceasefire in the Democratic Republic before playing a
meaningful role in that country's peace process, or sit idle
and witness the collapse of the process. ...
The Security Council had the primary responsibility for the
maintenance of international peace and security and should
not, therefore, transfer that responsibility solely to the
belligerents, to the neighbouring countries or to the region,
he continued. ...
The SADC supported the Secretary-General's proposal and urged
the Security Council to adopt a resolution authorizing the
deployment of the military liaison officers as the next step
for a subsequent robust United Nations presence in the
Democratic Republic, he said. It should be made clear that
that was only an intermediary phase for the speedy deployment
of a full-fledged United Nations peacekeeping operation. The
situation in the Democratic Republic could no longer afford
further delays in the establishment of a full-fledged United
Nations peacekeeping mission with an appropriate mandate under
Chapter VII and adequate numbers, taking into account the size
of the country and the magnitude and complexity of the
conflict.
The situation demanded urgent action, he said. ... He asked
what credibility would the Security Council have if its role
was to keep the peace only in countries where the people
themselves had already done that job fully? He recalled that
Mozambique had to wait six months after a peace agreement had
been signed for the arrival of peacekeepers. Mozambicans knew
the damage caused by such delay and hesitation. ...
SALIM AHMED SALIM, Secretary-General of the OAU, said that
hardly a day passed without initiatives, measures and efforts
being made by Africans to address the various challenges
confronting the continent. As crucial as those efforts were,
they needed to be strongly supported by the rest of the
international community. ...
Turning to the difficulties in the process of the
implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement, he said that the
OAU had to work hard to mobilize the necessary financial and
logistical support to facilitate the establishment of the
Joint Military Commission at its temporary headquarters in
Lusaka and the deployment of the local commissions in three
out of the four identified areas within the Democratic
Republic. The enthusiasm and goodwill that had been
demonstrated by the partners at the time of negotiations and
signature of the Agreement were not accompanied by the
required level of support. ...
The support of the African States and of the rest of the
international community would also be needed for the
commencement of the inter-Congolese political negotiations and
dialogue, he continued. ... However, it was necessary to be
mindful of the fact that the role of the international
community was, of necessity, to be limited in scope. It should
allow the people of the Democratic Republic, through an
all-inclusive process, the time and space they needed to
negotiate.
There was an urgent need for the effective presence of United
Nations military observers and peacekeepers in the Democratic
Republic, he said. In that respect, he hoped that the parties
concerned would extend the necessary cooperation to facilitate
such a deployment. ... Africa expected that the deliberation
of the Council would result in a clear commitment for the
speedy deployment of United Nations military observers and
peacekeeping forces, the size and mandate of which should be
commensurate with the magnitude of the crisis, he said.
Indeed, the perception that the Council had been hesitant in
mandating the deployment of a force for the Democratic
Republic had served to undermine the speedy implementation of
the Lusaka Agreement. It had also served to strengthen the
conviction that there was an unfortunate imbalance in dealing
with African crises. ...
Sir KETUMILE MASIRE, former President of Botswana and
facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, said the
unprecedented session of the Council dedicated to the
discussion of African issues would help alleviate suspicions,
fears and concerns over the commitment of the United Nations
and the wider international community to matters related to
peace, security and stability on the African continent. ...
He said it was precisely in recognition of the linkage between
the military and political aspects of the conflict that the
ceasefire document underlined the need for inter-Congolese
political negotiations. For the success of the all-inclusive
inter-Congolese political negotiation leading to national
reconciliation, he, as the facilitator, should be responsible
for, among other things, making the necessary contacts aimed
at the convening of the inter-Congolese political negotiations
within an environment conducive to all participants.
He said he was under no illusion that the negotiations would
be anything but difficult and arduous and he could not claim
to have answers to the problem in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo at the current time. Also no one in the
international community should be so presumptuous as to think
they knew more about what was best for the Congolese
themselves. ...
He said the most critical challenge to facilitating the
political dialogue would be to determine the nature and
content of the dialogue, establish the criteria for
participation, and determine how to organize the
infrastructure that would provide the necessary backstop for
negotiations.
The current pronounced goodwill of the international community
should be translated into concrete assistance. International
pressure should continue to be exerted on all the parties to
remain committed to resolving problems in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo through peaceful means. ...
NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of South
Africa, said the Lusaka Agreement must be implemented by all
concerned. Her country reaffirmed its neutral role in the
search for lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and her Government was committed to assisting the Joint
Military Commission by providing logistical support. ... She
said the Security Council should, without delay, authorize the
deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping operations in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary
objective is to widen international policy debates around
African issues, by concentrating on providing accessible
policy-relevant information and analysis usable by a wide
range of groups and individuals.
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