October 11, 2001
The UN Security Council Thursday urged all the warring parties to exercise restraint in the military field in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A statement, read here to the press by Council President Richard Ryan of Ireland, mirrored the 15-nation council's concerns over an increase in hostilities in the DRC when the peace process there marked a new phase through a national dialogue.
The statement called on all countries in the region, in particular the Kinshasa government, to cease any form of support to the armed groups in eastern DRC, and urged all foreign forces to begin their withdrawal from Congolese territory, in accordance with the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement and Security Council resolutions.
The statement also called on all forces from foreign countries, Rwanda in particular, not to reinforce their military contingents in the DRC, and on the rebel group Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) to demilitarize Kisangani. In this regard, it asked the Government of Rwanda to exert its influence on the RCD.
Welcoming the opening of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue on October 15, the council reaffirmed its support for the facilitator, Sir Ketumile Masire, and his team, the statement said.
The council members called on all Congolese parties to make every effort, with the participation of representatives of civil society, to ensure the success of the national dialogue in a spirit of consensus, and stressed that the dialogue's most important stage lay ahead.
The statement also encouraged donors to continue to support the facilitator and to expedite the disbursement of funding.
On the humanitarian front, members of the council voiced serious concern at the worsening of the relief and human rights situation in the DRC, in particular in the eastern regions, the statement said.
They also expressed concern at the illegal exploitation of the country's natural resources, pledging their support for the work of the expert panel tasked by Secretary General Kofi Annan with examining the issue.
The statement also called on the Lusaka signatories, the governments of the DRC and Rwanda in particular, to reach an agreement on a political framework for the disarmament process so that it could move forward.
The council reiterated their readiness to support the peace process, but noted that it was up to the parties themselves to put the necessary conditions in place, especially respect for the provisions of the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.
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