Global Policy Forum

By Jerome Hule

New York, UN - A day after hosting an open meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN security council announced Tuesday that it was considering a resolution that would authorise the much delayed expansion of the UN mission in the country. Regional leaders involved in the conflict have called on the council to expeditiously authorise the deployment of UN peacekeepers to help with the implementation of the cease-fire agreement adopted in Lusaka, Zambia, in July. The deployment of the force was being delayed due to insistence by the US that only full observance of the existence cease-fire by the warring parties would warrant such authorisation.

The parties, including the DRC, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda and Rwanda were expected to restate their commitment to the peace process at their meeting this week at the UN. In a statement, the council president, Richard Holbrooke of the US, urged the parties to build on the momentum of this week's meetings so as to create the climate for implementation of the agreement. "The security council underscores the absolute necessity of security and access for UN personnel deployed in support of the Lusaka process and stresses that such a climate of co-operation is a fundamental pre-requisite for the successful implementation of the UN mandate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," he said.

In 1999, the UN authorised the deployment of 90 military liaison officers in the DRC and the region tasked to prepare the way for a larger peacekeeping mission. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended last week the authorisation of about 5,500 peacekeepers for the DRC, indicating that a bigger peacekeeping force will be required at later stages of the implementation of the peace accord. The council also called for the commencement of an all-inclusive national, democratic dialogue in Congo as provided for in the Lusaka accord. Progress in this dialogue, it stated, would be a central indicator for the UN to consider additional measures in support of the Lusaka process. The council appealed to the international community to provide financial, logistical and political support to the national dialogue.

It expressed concern at the presence of armed groups who are not parties to the cease-fire agreement. Noting that these groups posed a threat to the Lusaka process, the council stressed the necessity for the disarmament, demobilisation, resettlement and reintegration of armed combatants in the region.