PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

The simple announcement of the deployment of a multinational force to Bunia had already made a difference in the people’s lives there, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

Having just returned from a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Rwanda, he said the multinational force would establish security in Bunia.  Indeed, it was already publicizing the horrors taking place in the town and sending a strong message of international support to those who were suffering.

He said that, currently, Bunia was like a ghost town with its few remaining inhabitants congregating near the headquarters of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).  The Uruguayan troops stationed there, despite their limitations, were doing a very impressive job.  Although they did not have the strength to establish security throughout the area, they could provide basic assurances to the people.  That had been demonstrated when, after hearing gunfire during his visit, he witnessed people rushing towards the Uruguayans to seek protection until the gunfire stopped.

Praising the fledgling Ituri Interim Administration, he said that, although fragile, it included diverse components from Ituri’s society, people of all ethnicities who were not involved with the violence and only wished to get on with their lives.  In that context, he urged the international community to support the people’s efforts to build a political process.

Asked about the composition of the force going to Bunia at the end of the week and over the next month, he responded that several countries had expressed willingness to participate and were presently discussing among themselves what their exact roles would be.  Since the force had been authorized by the Security Council and was not a peacekeeping force under United Nations command, he could not give an exact answer.  However, he speculated that half of it would probably be French, with the other half involving troops from Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Fielding questions about whether the peacekeeping forces going in the fall would be operating under Chapter VII, and why the current force had chosen not to disarm the militias, he said that there had been much talk about specific mandates.  However, before discussing a mandate, one had to focus on military forces and what resources were available to back them up.  The first key requirement was to have a strong MONUC.  It was not good to raise expectations without adequate muscle.  He had seen armed militias moving around United Nations troops and had wondered if it was worth challenging them in a “half-cocked” manner.  He added that it was one thing to protect civilians, as the Uruguayan force had been doing, but another to establish area dominance.

Concerning disarmament, there had to be a major international effort.  He had seen too many child soldiers with weapons bigger than they were.  Those children, sometimes under the influence of drugs, did not just need their weapons taken away.  Rather, coordinated and consistent programs and incentives were needed to ensure their well-being.  He emphasized that military strategies had to be accompanied by political and humanitarian ones.  Additionally, the people drawn into the conflict had to be shown that the political process could produce positive results for them.

Asked if reluctance on the part of troop-contributing countries stemmed from the fact that the force was not operating under Chapter VII, he responded that countries understandably have been less than willing to put their troops in harm’s way without a firm mandate.  In that regard, he stressed that, wherever troops were deployed, they should have the strength they need to carry out their missions.  United Nations forces should not be bullied.

Fielding a question about how far the international force should extend its control in the region, he said that, because the DRC was so large, it would be better to limit the scope of the mission and create a fortified enclave that would send a strong signal throughout the country.

Asked about the Secretary-General’s intention to send retired Canadian General, Maurice Baril, to the area, he responded that General Baril’s role would be helpful in filling the national unity Government’s senior military post.  Because the appointment was so political and was stalling efforts to jump-start the national unity Government, a technical military solution was needed.  Currently, actors were only thinking of strengthening their own factions.  Someone, therefore, needed to judge the weight of the various posts so that there would be a Congolese National Army that worked and was credible and professional.

Responding to a correspondent who asked if there was now a sense that coalitions of the willing would be more effective than United Nations peacekeepers, he said traditional peacekeeping was difficult when dishonest, non-State actors were involved.  Therefore, more force was needed.  In that regard, MONUC, like its counterpart in Sierra Leone, would be receiving attack helicopters as deterrent mechanisms.  He added that peacekeeping had evolved, but that if an urgent deployment was needed, it was more flexible and practical to work with a coalition of the willing.

Asked about budgetary issues and contributions from the United States, he responded that the international community would be more forthcoming with assistance if the Congolese showed a greater commitment to peace.  The United States understood that a strong multinational force was necessary in Bunia.

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