8 August 2002
Mr. President
Allow me to congratulate you on your assumption of the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of August. Let me also express our sincere gratitude for inviting us to address the Council on an important development in our continent. I would also like to pay tribute to the Secretary-General for his tireless efforts and contribution to bring about peace and stability throughout the African continent. The recent launch of the African Union has highlighted our commitment to peace and development in Africa. We believe that the United Nations can be an important partner as we re-build our continent, especially using the principles enshrined in NEPAD.
Mr. President
Last week the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda took an important step by signing a peace agreement on the withdrawal of the Rwandan troops from the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the dismantling of the ex-FAR and Interahamwe Forces in the DRC. This peace agreement assumes greater significance in that it comes in the wake of tremendous progress made by the Congolese people in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, which was held in our country earlier this year.
This agreement is very important and it is at the centre of the peace process, and therefore gives a strong signal of political will on the side of the Rwanda and the DRC to expedite a peace process among themselves. It is very important for all of us to support and encourage the implementation of this agreement. It would be wrong for peace loving nations to be less than enthusiastic about this agreement.
To understand this agreement before us, we must go back to the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement of 1999. In that Agreement there was a question on how to deal with the foreign forces that had come into the DRC. Everyone acknowledged that the foreign forces would have to withdraw in order to allow the people of the DRC to decide on their future without any external interference. The problem was always the presence in the DRC of the armed military groups such as Interahamwe and ex-FAR who were implicated in the Rwandese Genocide.
In the years since the signing of the Lusaka Agreement, it became even much clearer that the conflict in the DRC could not be resolved until the matter of the armed military groups was addressed. We are all aware that these armed groups operate freely within the territory of the DRC and continue to pose not only a real threat to the people of Rwanda but can destabilize the DRC itself. We welcome the declared wish of the Government of the DRC not to have these armed groups utilize its territory for launching attacks against its neighbours. We also welcome the commitment of the Government of Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the DRC as soon as these military groups cease to be a threat to the people of Rwanda.
At the launch of the African Union, a crucial meeting was held for the first time between President Joseph Kabila of the DRC and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda. This meeting was held in the presence of President Mbeki and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who was accompanied by senior leadership of UN Secretariat and MONUC. Follow-up meetings were later held with Ministers from DRC and Rwanda together with MONUC. In this regard, we would like to pay tribute to MONUC for its role in supporting peace efforts in the DRC. Despite its limited strength and difficult conditions that prevail, MONUC has managed to carry out its duties.
The Durban meeting laid the basis for this peace agreement. This was where both President Kagame and President Kabila asked President Mbeki and Secretary-General Annan to act jointly as a third party guaranteeing the agreement.
From the outset we wish to make clear that the Agreement signed between the two governments in a reflection of their wishes and interests. Furthermore, the agreement does not supplant the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement of 1999 and subsequent agreements but rather complements all of them. The need for this agreement stems from the recognition that progress in establishing lasting peace in the DRC cannot be registered without resolving the conflict between the DRC and Rwanda.
There is no doubt that the developments of the last month have created a political momentum that must be seized and supported by all actors concerned including the international community. This momentum in turn imposes on every one of us to do everything necessary to achieve the targets set on the programme of implementation. This agreement has created a rare gift of hope to the people of DRC and all the countries of the Great Lakes region. We cannot therefore not be seen to have contributed to the slowing down of the peace process in the DRC, Rwanda and indeed the rest of the Great Lakes region.