PRESS CONFERENCE BY DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had expressed its satisfaction with this morning’s Security Council's condemnation of last month's extrajudicial killings in the Congolese town of Kisangani, Leonard She Okitundu, the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

Mr. Okitundu said the Council had adopted resolution 1417 (2002) precisely one month after the killings inflicted on the people of Kisangani, attaching responsibility to the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD-Goma).  The Congolese Government called for an inquiry through the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had dispatched a special rapporteur for extrajudicial killings, he added.

Reiterating his Government's demand for the demilitarization of Kisangani, the Minister also called for the complete and rapid withdrawal of all foreign forces from Congolese territory, saying today's Council resolution called upon Rwanda to hand over its withdrawal plan to the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) like all other parties.

Regarding the inter-Congolese dialogue, he voiced the Government's satisfaction with the Council's recognition of the progress made by the majority of participants in the talks, held in Sun City, South Africa, from 25 February to 29 April 2002.  He welcomed the fact that today's resolution pressed Rwanda to influence RCD-Goma to join the peace and reconciliation dynamic.

Mr. Okitundu welcomed the Council's acceptance of a "troop curtain" to close off the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, both in response to Rwanda's security concerns and in order to accelerate the withdrawal of its troops.

The Minister also announced that his Government had received a grant-in-aid of $750 million under an economic recovery programme, begun with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Asked why the Council had not imposed sanctions on the RCD-Goma for the extrajudicial killings in Kisangani, Mr. Okitundu reiterated that it had condemned those actions.  Sanctions would be considered according to how the situation evolved.  The Council was still awaiting the report of the Special Rapporteur dispatched by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, he added.

Another correspondent asked how the Congolese Government would deal with charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on its territory should they arise after 1 July, when the International Criminal Court would enter into force.

He replied that he did not expect that the Court would act retroactively.  However, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was demanding that the Security Council establish an international criminal court to prosecute actions committed on its territory.