SECURITY COUNCIL RENEWS ARMS EMBARGO IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO UNTIL 15 FEBRUARY 2008, UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1771 (2007)

Security Council

5730^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL RENEWS ARMS EMBARGO IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

UNTIL 15 FEBRUARY 2008, UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1771 (2007)

The Security Council, condemning the continuing illicit flow of weapons within and into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and reiterating its serious concern regarding the presence of armed groups and militias in the Eastern part of the country, today decided to renew the arms embargo on the country, and the travel ban and assets freeze on those in violation of it, until 15 February 2008.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1771 (2007) following a 10-day technical extension of the sanctions on 31 July, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter, decided that the arms embargo, which it first imposed by resolution 1493 in July 2003 and expanded by resolution 1596 in April 2005, should not apply to technical training and assistance agreed to by the Government and intended solely for army and police support units that were in the process of their integration in the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district.

By further terms of the text, the Council recalled that the embargo should not apply to supplies of arms and related materiel or technical training and assistance intended solely for support of and use by the country’s army and police units, provided that the units had completed the integration process, operated under the command, respectively, of the état-major intégré of the country’s Armed Forces or National Police, and were in the process of their integration in the country’s territory outside the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district.

The Council also requested the Secretary-General to re-establish for a period expiring on 15 February 2008 the Group of Experts created to help monitor illicit arms flows into the country.

[Setting out the tasks of the Group of Experts, resolutions 1533 (2004) and 1596 (2005) mandate the experts to, among other things, examine and analyze information gathered by the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), countries of the region and others, on arms flows, and to recommend ways of improving the capabilities of States, particularly those in the region, to comply with the embargo.  Resolution 1649 (2005) asks the Group to help identify the political and military leaders of foreign armed groups operating in the country, as well as the political and military leaders of the Congolese militias receiving outside support, who impede participation of their combatants in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes.]

By other provisions of the text, the Council requested the Mission, within its existing capabilities and without prejudice to the performance of its current mandate, and the Group of Experts, to focus their monitoring activities in North and South Kivu and in Ituri.

Reaffirming its demand that all parties and all States cooperate fully with the Group of Experts, the Council further demanded that all parties and all States ensure the cooperation with the Group of Experts of individuals and entities within their jurisdiction or under their control.

The meeting began at 11:26 a.m. and adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 1771 (2007) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its previous resolutions, in particular resolution 1756 (2007), and the statements by its President concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular on 23 July 2007,

“Reaffirming its commitment to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as all States in the region,

“Welcoming the establishment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo of democratically elected institutions, and reaffirming the sovereign authority of the elected government to establish effective security and control throughout the national territory,

“Taking note with satisfaction of the adoption of the programme of the Government, in particular the governance contract included therein,

“Taking note of the final report (S/2007/423) of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo established pursuant to resolution 1698 (2006),

“Condemning the continuing illicit flow of weapons within and into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, declaring its determination to continue close monitoring of the implementation of the arms embargo imposed by resolution 1493 (2003) and expanded by resolution 1596 (2005), and to enforce the measures provided for in resolution 1596 against persons and entities acting in violation of this embargo, as amended and expanded by resolutions 1649 (2005) and resolution 1698, and recognizing the linkage between the illegal exploitation of natural resources, illicit trade in such resources and the proliferation and trafficking of arms as one of the factors fuelling and exacerbating conflicts in the Great Lakes region of Africa,

“Recalling its resolution 1612 (2005) and its previous resolutions on children and armed conflict, and once again strongly condemning the continued recruitment and use of children in violation of applicable international law, in the hostilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

“Reiterating its serious concern regarding the presence of armed groups and militias in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district, which perpetuate a climate of insecurity in the whole region,

“Taking note of the report of the Security Council mission which visited Kinshasa on 20 June 2007 (S/2007/421),

“Recalling the importance of urgently carrying out security sector reform and of disarming, demobilizing, resettling or repatriating, as appropriate, and reintegrating Congolese and foreign armed groups for the long-term stabilization of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

“Noting that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1.   Decides to renew until 15 February 2008 the measures on arms imposed by paragraph 20 of resolution 1493 as amended and expanded by paragraph 1 of resolution 1596;

“2.   Reaffirms paragraph 21 of resolution 1493 and paragraph 2 of resolution 1596, and recalls in particular that the measures referred to in paragraph 1 above shall not apply to supplies of arms and related materiel or technical training and assistance intended solely for support of or use by units of the army and police of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, provided that the said units:

(a)   Have completed the process of their integration, or

(b)   Operate under the command, respectively, of the état-major intégré of the Armed Forces or of the National Police of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or

(c)   Are in the process of their integration, in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo outside the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district;

“3.   Decides further that the measures referred to in paragraph 1 above shall not apply to technical training and assistance agreed to by the Government and intended solely for support of units of the army and police of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that are in the process of their integration in the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district;

“4.   Decides that the conditions specified in paragraph 4 of resolution 1596, as now applied to the Government, shall apply to supplies of arms and related materiel as well as technical training and assistance which are consistent with such exemptions noted in paragraph 2 and 3 above and notes in this regard that States have an obligation to notify such supplies in advance to the Committee referred to in paragraph 7;

“5.   Decides to renew, for the period specified in paragraph 1 above, the measures on transport imposed by paragraphs 6, 7 and 10 of resolution 1596;

“6.   Decides to renew, for the period specified in paragraph 1 above the financial and travel measures imposed by paragraphs 13 and 15 of resolution 1596, paragraph 2 of resolution 1649, and paragraph 13 of resolution 1698, and reaffirms the provisions of paragraph 14 and 16 of resolution 1596, and paragraph 3 of resolution 1698;

“7.   Recalls the mandate of the Committee established pursuant to paragraph 8 of resolution 1533 (2004), as expanded pursuant to paragraph 18 of resolution 1596, paragraph 4 of resolution 1649 and paragraph 14 of resolution 1698;

“8.   Calls upon all States, in particular those of the region, to support the implementation of the arms embargo and to cooperate fully with the Committee in carrying out its mandate;

“9.   Requests the Secretary-General to re-establish for a period expiring on 15 February 2008 the Group of Experts established pursuant to paragraph 10 of resolution 1533 and expanded pursuant to paragraph 21 of resolution 1596;

“10.  Requests the Group of Experts to fulfil its mandate as defined in paragraph 5 and 17 of resolution 1698, to update the Committee on its work as appropriate, and to report to the Council in writing, through the Committee, by 15 January 2008;

“11.  Requests MONUC, within its existing capabilities and without prejudice to the performance of its current mandate, and the Group of Experts referred to in paragraph 9 above to continue to focus their monitoring activities in North and South Kivu and in Ituri;

“12.  Reaffirms its demand, expressed in paragraph 19 of resolution 1596, that all parties and all States cooperate fully with the work of the Group of Experts, and that they ensure:

--the safety of its members,

--unhindered and immediate access, in particular to persons, documents and sites the Group of Experts deems relevant to the execution of its mandate;

“13.  Further demands that all parties and all States ensure the cooperation with the Group of Experts of individuals and entities within their jurisdiction or under their control, and calls on all States in the region to implement fully their obligations under paragraph 12 above;

“14.  Decides that, no later than 15 February 2008, it shall review the measures set forth in paragraphs 1, 5 and 6 above, with a view to adjusting them, as appropriate, in the light of consolidation of the security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular progress in security sector reform including the integration of the armed forces and the reform of the national police, and in disarming, demobilizing, resettling or repatriating, as appropriate, and reintegrating Congolese and foreign armed groups;

“15.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

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