January 24, 2000
United Nations -- The U.N. Security Council is trying to revive Congo's unraveling cease-fire by bringing the main players to New York for talks that U.S. officials hope will produce a new commitment to peace. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is chairwoman of the initial, open session today. It is expected to draw the presidents of a half-dozen African nations.
The high-stakes meeting comes at a crucial time for the 15-member council, which is mulling whether and when to deploy a peacekeeping force to Congo. Many say deployment is being blocked by the United States, which is skittish about getting involved in such an intractable dispute.
Congo's war was launched in August 1998 by rebels in the eastern part of the vast central African country who were seeking to oust Congolese President Laurent Kabila from power. The rebels were backed by Rwanda and Uganda, while Kabila enlisted the support of Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola. Both sides signed a cease-fire accord last July, but fighting has continued -- particularly in areas rich in diamonds. Kabila said last week he was prepared to keep up the battle until Rwandan and Ugandan troops leave the country.
Kabila is among those expected to attend today's open meeting, which will be followed by several days of closed-door negotiations to try to update the cease-fire agreement signed in Lusaka, Zambia. U.S. officials say they are pressing for the warring sides to agree to a ``Lusaka-Plus'' accord, that would reaffirm what was agreed to last year but take into account the changed situation on the ground.
Among those expected to attend are Salim A. Salim, secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity, and former Botswana President Ketumile Masire, who has been named facilitator to the talks. The presidents of the countries involved, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Angola, are also expected, as well as the president of Mozambique, which currently chairs the Southern African Development Community. The Lusaka accord calls for a cease-fire, the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers and the withdrawal of foreign troops.
In a report last week to the Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed the first significant installment of that plan, asking the council to authorize a mission of 5,500 people, mostly military observers, and the 3,400 troops needed to protect them. U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke has said the conditions aren't yet right for such a deployment, angering many Africans and Security Council members who say waiting for a perfect cease-fire in Congo before deploying will be too late. ``We have dragged our feet, and we don't apologize for it,'' Holbrooke said in a speech last week to the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. ``At the same time, we have taken the leadership role in inviting everyone to come to New York and try to fix it.''
Congo's foreign affairs minister, Abdoulaye Yerodia, said all his government wanted was for Rwanda and Uganda to leave its territory, as called for by U.N. resolutions. ``We want the war to end,'' he said. When asked whether he feared the meeting would end in empty promises, he replied: ``If we were convinced of that, we wouldn't have come.''
