PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

The peacekeeping mandate for the Democratic Republic of the Congo needed to be expanded to allow for the immediate deployment of at least two companies in Kisangani, Kamel Morjane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told correspondents this afternoon at Headquarters following his briefing to the Security Council during its consultations on the Democratic Republic.

"After the efforts made by the Secretary-General and others to get the two parties in Kisangani to accept withdrawal and disengagement from the area, we should not leave a vacuum there. Any vacuum could be very dangerous, especially for the future of the whole operation. Kisangani could be a model for the rest of the project", he said.

However, "additional means" were required in the mandate in order to act in Kisangani. "Kisangani is, certainly for me, the priority for the time being because it could be the test for United Nations action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We certainly need more than the four battalions that are expected to be deployed in the second phase of MONUC. Our actions should not be dependent on the conditions set out in resolution 1291 (2000)." He expressed the hope that the Council would adopt a resolution reflecting the request.

Other priorities for the Mission included guarantees for freedom of movement for all forces of MONUC and for the ceasefire agreement to be respected among the belligerents, especially in the Equateur Province. He also stressed the importance of the Inter-Congolese dialogue, saying that a solution could not be only military or only political. To the Government's announcement that it was no longer willing to cooperate with the neutral facilitator of the dialogue, he expressed the hope that there would be a reconsideration, particularly in light of the time that might be lost if the decision stood.

Asked about Rwanda's demand for international security guarantees before it would withdraw from Kisangani, Mr. Morjane said, "We all know why Rwanda is there. It is there for its security and it is a legitimate concern. I do believe that we cannot reach any agreement or settlement without considering the security of Rwanda".

Responding to a question as to whether the deployment would be conducted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, Mr. Morjane said the United Nations was expecting to force a decision about disengagement of forces in Kisangani and to have the ability to control the city afterwards. "We cannot expect to do this only through military observers. Today, we have 24 military observers in Kisangani and they were there during the fighting. One or two hundred military observers would not have been able to change anything. That is why I think we need a specific mandate for Kisangani if we want to keep the peace in that city."

To another question, he said that while he hoped it would not be necessary, the arrangement, with some revisions, could possibly be a model for other situations where it might be difficult to disengage the forces.

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