PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was better than it had been in the recent past, Kamel Morjane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told journalists at a press briefing at United Nations Headquarters today.

He was cautiously optimistic, he explained, but acknowledged that the situation could change at any moment, and there was still a great deal of work to be done. While prospects for peace were now good, the United Nations must continue to work with the parties to consolidate those prospects.

Several important developments had taken place subsequent to the Secretary-General's most recent report, Mr. Morjane explained. The parties to the conflict had signed a disengagement plan proposed by the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). That plan differed from the ceasefire agreement, which had been violated repeatedly since the Lusaka accord was signed in July 1999. Those violations had continued until March this year.

MONUC had concluded that, instead of asking the parties to recommit to the ceasefire, it would be more constructive to move straight on to the next phase -- to seek agreement on a disengagement plan. Such a plan had therefore been proposed to the parties.

MONUC also proposed the establishment of a body composed of the commanders of the different armies involved in the conflict, he said, to function in addition to the existing Political Committee, made up of the various ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence. This additional body would help ensure there was a link between political-diplomatic action and military action. That the idea was a good one had been confirmed when most of the nine parties chose to be represented in the new body by their military commanders.

Agreement to the disengagement plan was reached with the parties' political leaders represented in the Political Committee, and also with the parties' military commanders, he said. For the first two days after the signing of the disengagement plan, violations of the ceasefire had continued -– notably, in the Equateur region in the north -– but since 16 April, the ceasefire had held. And he hoped it would continue to hold, he added.

In addition, there had also been some improvements in the Mission's relations with the Government; relations that had been quite difficult in the beginning, he said.

His message to the Security Council today had been that, whilst the new optimistic environment must be viewed with a certain caution, now was the time to act. He had been very pleased to note that the Security Council understood this.

MONUC was now seeking agreement on the implementation of the disengagement plan, and seeking ways to effect the disengagement zone of 30 kilometres minimum

Congo Briefing - 2 - 25 April 2000

between the different forces in the Congo. Today, the MONUC force commander had travelled to Gbadolite to meet with one of the parties to the disengagement agreement –- Jean-Pierre Bemba's Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC) -- to commence implementation discussions. Those discussions would be also held with all other parties.

Disengagement could be achieved, he said, if the necessary support was forthcoming. He noted, however, that the United Nations was experiencing some difficulty in obtaining the forces MONUC needed. All Member States were being asked to contribute. In particular, it was important that the four battalions to be deployed in the four regions were found and deployed as soon as possible.

Asked whether he believed the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was such that a larger mission could be dispatched, Mr. Morjane said that the situation was sensitive. Rather, he could say the circumstances today were the best they had been since his arrival, and that preparations for deployment were continuing.

It was important for the United Nations to show that it was taking all the necessary measures to assist the peace process, he continued, but further deployment would take some time. However, measures were being considered to respond to what both the parties and the African States expected from the United Nations.

He explained, in response to another question, that security in the capital, Kinshasa, was not a problem. Security concerns had not been the reason the Secretary-General had proposed that the Group of Experts meet in Nairobi. The group was expected to deal with matters that concerned countries other than the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he understood the proposal that they meet in Nairobi was made to ensure impartiality.

He welcomed the Security Council's initiative to send a Council mission to Kinshasa and Lusaka, he said, as it would demonstrate the level of the international community's concern about what was happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Council members' programme was still being prepared and he would continue to discuss their arrangements with them, particularly about their four days in Kinshasa and in Lusaka.

Asked whether his optimism could be sustained in the light of the explosions at Kinshasa airport last week, he pointed out that for 10 days now there had been no violations of the ceasefire. That, in itself, was a cause for optimism. The signing of the disengagement plan, even though it could not be implemented immediately, and the expressions of interest in its implementation, were also good signs. While he noted that things might change at any moment, his role was to encourage those positive developments.

The explosions were dramatic, he continued. The Government contended that they were accidents, but of course there were many rumours in Kinshasa and they had a terrible effect on the population, on the international community and on MONUC.

Congo Briefing - 3 - 25 April 2000

The explosions had set back the implementation of the disengagement agreement, he said, because two United Nations aircraft had been damaged and replacements had to be found. That was why the discussions on implementation had only started today. He believed the mission had lost about two weeks as a consequence of the explosions.

Asked about the size of the anticipated deployment, he explained that the Security Council had mandated a maximum of 5,537 troops. A minimum of 500 of those would be military observers, with the rest providing support. There were to be four battalions, each of 850 troops, in four different provinces -– Mbandaka in the north, Kananga in the south, and Kisangani and Kindu in the east. Their task was to guarantee security and logistics for the observers.

Asked about the prospects for a larger deployment, he said that he was focused on doing everything possible to implement the original mission plan.

In response to a question about prospects for a MONUC disarmament mandate, he explained that the Mission was to function in three phases. The first phase -– the establishment of liaison offices -- had been completed. Ninety liaison officers had been deployed. The second phase had started.

Disarmament would fall under the Mission's third phase, according to Mr. Morjane. Initially, the parties had not understood this, but efforts to explain it, including those by Under Secretary-General Miyet on his visit to the region, had meant that they now did. The third phase would certainly be the most important, but it could not take place without the second phase, and for this reason the second phase -– the disengagement of the forces -– was the focus of MONUC's activities at present. The third phase would see the disarmament of the contending groups and also the departure of foreign troops.

He explained, in response to another question, that once the third phase was reached, all foreign troops, including the Zimbabweans, would depart. At present, a distinction was made between foreign forces invited by the Government, such as those from Zimbabwe, and those that were not. However, he noted, the “allied” forces were currently only deployed in defensive positions, and that, ultimately, the Inter-Congolese dialogue would lead to both a new democratic political system and a new republican army organized by all the Congolese parties.

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