In progress at UNHQ

PRESS BRIEFING ON SECURITY COUNCIL’S CENTRAL AFRICA MISSION

04/06/2003
Press Briefing


PRESS BRIEFING ON SECURITY COUNCIL’S CENTRAL AFRICA MISSION


Briefing correspondents today on the upcoming Security Council mission to Central Africa, the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, Jean-Marc de la Sablière, said that the Council’s “ground-based approach” to peacekeeping, involving the deployment of “Blue Helmets” and the authorization of a multinational force, had no hope of succeeding unless there was a solid political process in place. 


It was to strengthen that process that the Council mission was going to the region, he added.  The mission, which will be led by Mr. de la Sablière, will depart on 7 June and return to New York on 16 June.  It was the fourth mission to Central Africa, he said, which was an indication of the Council’s commitment to the question of the Great Lakes.


The mission would concentrate on the two conflicts tearing the region apart, namely the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Burundi, he said.  Members would also travel to Uganda and Rwanda, which, as neighbouring States and signatories to the Lusaka ceasefire agreement, were key actors in the Congolese peace process.


Given that the Council’s efforts were allied with those of the region, the mission would also be going to South Africa on 8 and 9 June which holds the presidency of the African Union, he said.  The mission will arrive in Kinshasha, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 10 June and depart for Bunia on 12 June.  (A detailed itinerary was distributed to correspondents.)


He said that the peace processes in the two countries differed in many ways, but had two points in common.  First, their human cost was “absolutely unacceptable”.  That meant that the international community must remain mobilized with increasing determination. The resolution of both conflicts required strengthened political processes. 


In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the main obstacle to the political process was instability, he said.  The mission would tell all interlocutors that the fighting must stop.  That meant that the offensives launched by certain parties must cease immediately.  That also meant that all forms of support, in the first place military, to armed groups or militias, must also cease.  Lastly, that meant that all those with influence over the armed groups or militias must use it to stop the fighting.  That was his first message.


In the same vein, he continued, the mission would ask everyone involved to mobilize to stop the looting of that country’s natural resources, which had become a main engine in the conflict.  The mission would meet with Ambassador Mahmoud Kassem (Egypt), who was leading the panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of resources.  A further message, which would be addressed to the Congolese parties, all of whom had signed an inclusive agreement on the transitional government, was that they must set up that government without delay.


Also, the parties must implement the reforms to which they committed, such as that of the security forces, he said.  The parties would also have to prepare the ground for the elections, which would conclude the transitional period.  At the regional level, the mission would advocate new confidence-building measures to restore good neighbourly relations.  That required that the countries in the region make arrangements to satisfy their mutual security concerns.  In that regard, the mission would consider, with its interlocutors, the prospect of an international conference on the Great Lakes region, which it would discuss with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ibrahima Fall.


Continuing, he said that the mission would remind all parties that they had a duty to ensure respect for human rights and to guarantee the full access of humanitarian organizations.  The mission would also go to Bunia, where the multinational force authorized under Security Council resolution 1484 (2003) was in the process of being deployed.  The force would support the efforts of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to relaunch the political process in Ituri and restore stability there. 


He stressed that the mission’s dialogue with all interlocutors in the region on a whole range of issues would be the basis for the Security Council’s decision on “how to act” on the special report of the Secretary-General just issued on MONUC’s role and mandates (document S/2003/566).  The report had not been discussed this morning in the Council.   It would be taken up upon its return, when it would be better informed and better able to discuss MONUC’s mandate.


MONUC was doing a remarkable job in particularly difficult conditions, he added.  Depending on what the mission heard from its interlocutors, its format and mandate might have to be adjusted, according to the emerging climate in the region.


Turning to Burundi, he said that the mission would pay tribute to the Burundian parties, which had shown that the Arusha Accord peace process was irreversible.  Now that President Ndayizeye had taken office, the second phase of the transition had begun.  It must be pursued to the end, which meant that the requisite reforms needed to be implemented.  The mission would meet the last of the rebel groups (FDD and FNL) and explain that they had to join the Arusha process, to which there was no alternative.  The mission would also examine with the Burundian parties how they might resolve the “thorny” question of the fight against impunity.  Lastly, it would consider with them the means of supporting the deployment of the African mission.


Finally, the Council would reaffirm its resolve to help the parties in the two peace processes to implement the commitments they had accepted.  The willingness of the Council -- and by extension of the international community -- to help must be based on the efforts of the parties themselves.  “This is not our peace process; this is the peace process of the parties”, he emphasized. 


Asked if the multinational force committing to the region would be large enough to accomplish its mandate by September, he said that the force would have between 1,400 and 1,500 troops.  There would be some French troops -- approximately 700 in Bunia and up to 300 in Entebbe.  Arrangements for air support were also under way.  In the coming days, the first soldiers would arrive in Bunia, with the commander of the forces.  Meetings were now being held in Paris to set up the force, and thus he could not yet define its exact composition. 


There would be a strong European dimension, he added.  Discussions were also under way with African countries, especially South Africa and Senegal, which had expressed a desire to contribute.  Canada would also be participating.  France was the framework nation and, as such, it would be assuming the military leadership and generating the force.


Replying to a question about why this mission to the region might be more successful than the last three, he said there was a process -- a peace process -- underway.  Resolution would not occur in such conflicts with just “the wave of a magic wand”, or just one mission, one meeting or one conference.


In the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there were both positive and negative elements, he said.  On the positive side was the existence of the inter-Congolese dialogue, which had as its aim the achievement of a transitional government.  In addition to explaining the importance of having that government begin to function, it was absolutely essential that the mission had to advocate a political dimension.


He added that the Council’s decision to authorize the deployment of a multinational force to Ituri must have a political accompaniment.  The Council was seeking to stabilize the security situation in Bunia and to improve the humanitarian situation.  In tandem with that, the force, which would stay for only three months, would help MONUC fulfil its mission.  The Council was at a point where it would push the setting up of the transitional government and work on the political accompaniment in Ituri.  He could not prejudge its success, but Council members had spoken this morning with great determination to assist the parties in that very complex situation.


Asked about the consequences of non-compliance by the parties, including the possibility of sanctions, he said that the Council was not going to the region with the idea of carrying out sanctions.  It was going with the idea of carrying out a dialogue and reaffirming its interest in assisting the parties.  That would show the determination and willingness of the international community to assist the parties, through a strong message and through dialogue.  


In the Secretary-General’s special report, there was a proposal for a possible arms embargo in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he said, adding that the mission would look into that and discuss it with the Council upon its return. 


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For information media. Not an official record.