January 24, 2000
New York, UN - President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola is in New York to attend a meeting of the UN Security Council on the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Heads of state from southern African countries and the Great Lakes region are to take part in the session, which opens Monday through the initiative of Richard Holbrooke, US permanent representative at the UN and current chairman of the council. It is aimed at giving momentum to the peace process in Congo following the cease-fire agreement signed in July in Lusaka, Zambia, by countries involved in the conflict.
The two factions of the rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy and the Congolese Liberation Movement later signed the accord, whose total implementation is expected to pave the way for the restoration of lasting peace in Congo. Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe have troops in Congo fighting alongside government forces, while Uganda and Rwanda are supporting the rebels.
