SECRETARY-GENERAL POSTPONES FOR 48 HOURS DECISION ON WITHDRAWAL OF CONGO INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
Press Release
SG/SM/6405
AFR/32
SECRETARY-GENERAL POSTPONES FOR 48 HOURS DECISION ON WITHDRAWAL OF CONGO INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
19971125 The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary- General Kofi Annan:I can confirm that this morning the Secretary-General was on the verge of pulling out his human rights investigative team from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He had sent the team to Kinshasa on 24 August, but they were not allowed to deploy into the field. He recalled them to New York for consultations. He sent them back to Kinshasa on 11 November, following an agreement with the Government brokered by United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson. There was no movement. He received a report from the team yesterday indicating there was still no progress, which triggered his decision to withdraw.
He was informed today by the United Nations Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that a meeting had been set between the team and President Laurent Kabila tomorrow in Kinshasa, as well as with Etienne-Richard Mbaya, the head of the Liaison Committee that is to facilitate the work of the team. After consulting several Member States, he agreed to postpone his decision for 48 hours, to see if the obstacles raised by the Government would finally be lifted.
The Secretary-General feels he cannot justify much longer retaining the team in Kinshasa, if it cannot move into the field immediately to conduct the investigations it was sent there to carry out.
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