Written Answers. - Foreign Conflicts.
Seán Ryan
Question:
99
Mr. S. Ryan
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
if he will give his Department's assessment of the implications for the situation in central Africa of the killing of President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2254/01]
Gerry Reynolds
Question:
133
Mr. G. Reynolds
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
his views on the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the assassination of President Laurent Kabila.
[2219/01]
Emmet Stagg
Question:
135
Mr. Stagg
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
if he will make a statement on the current position in the Congo.
[2227/01]
Michael D. Higgins
Question:
217
Mr. M. Higgins
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
if all parties are fulfilling their obligations under the Lusaka Agreement; the situation with regard to United Nations Resolution 1291; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[30445/00]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
269
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
the proposals he has through the UN or the EU to positively influence the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2571/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 99, 133, 135, 217 and 269 together.
I express my concern at the assassination of President Kabila and the risk that this may pose for the establishment of a lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the aftermath of the assassination, the international community, including the United Nations Security Council and the European Union, has appealed for calm and urged the warring parties to refrain from taking advantage of the situation to launch new offensives. I wholeheartedly associate Ireland with that appeal.
The European Union has reiterated its support for the Lusaka Agreement as providing the only consensual basis for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the region. All parties to that Agreement must respect their commitments and comply fully with all relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The swearing in of President Joseph Kabila now provides an opportunity for the full implementation of the Lusaka Agreement and to build legitimate government. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the parties to the Lusaka Agreement immediately re-engage with a view to strict adherence to the ceasefire in all parts of the country. They must commit themselves to launching the national dialogue foreseen in the Lusaka Agreement to form the representative, democratic Government which the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo deserve.
The disarmament of rebel groups and militias and a withdrawal of all belligerents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is another urgent priority. This will facilitate the full deployment of the UN peacekeeping force authorised by Security Council Resolution 1279 of 30 November 1999 to oversee the ceasefire. For its part, the European Union is giving urgent consideration to an embargo to stem the flow of arms to the DRC and the Great Lakes region fuelling and protracting the conflict there.
This is a conflict which has had a grave humanitarian impact on the people of the Congo and its neighbours. It has also had very serious economic consequences for the economic development of all the countries in the Great Lakes region. Given the appalling humanitarian conditions affecting some 16 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the European Commission will continue its efforts to provide aid, including humanitarian aid, to those most affected.
I warmly welcome the initiative of the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to convene in February in New York a meeting of all signatories of the Lusaka Agreement aimed at reviving the peace process. As a member of the Security Council, Ireland will participate in this meeting and use this opportunity to urge all concerned to work towards ending this most devastating of wars and begin the process of national and regional reconciliation.
An immediate cessation of hostilities in the DRC to enable the full deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping force as called for in Security Council Resolution 1291 is an urgent priority. To date, the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has been unable to determine that conditions of adequate security exist in the DRC to enable United Nations forces to deploy and carry out their mandate.
Resolution 1291 also expresses serious concern at reports of the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the DRC. A panel of experts has been set up to examine these illegal activities and, on the basis of its final report which is due in March, the Security Council will examine what steps can be taken to combat such illegal activity.
In accordance with resolution 1291, Ireland supports the holding at the appropriate time of an international conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes region under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity.
