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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Oct 2003

Vol. 571 No. 2

Written Answers. - Great Lakes Region.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

142 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa; and the Government's priorities in relation to this region. [21136/03]

The overall situation in the Great Lakes region continues to see improvement and offers some encouragement that peaceful resolutions of the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of Burundi can and will be achieved.

Progress continues to be made towards the establishment of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, with the new transitional government led by President Kabila having taken office in July and so far operating satisfactorily in bringing together the different Congolese parties to the 2 April peace accord. At the same time, the situation in the eastern part of the DRC, and particularly in the Ituri region and North and South Kivu, continues to give cause for concern, notwithstanding the successful completion of the EU-led Operation Artemis and the deployment earlier this month of a substantially increased United Nations Mission in the DRC, MONUC, which now operates under a Chapter VII mandate.

Ireland, along with our EU partners, will continue to encourage the transitional government in Kinshasa to consolidate its authority throughout the territory of the DRC and to hasten the process of creating an integrated national army and police force. Specifically, as regards the envisaged integrated police force, the EU is currently exploring how it might lead concrete support.

There is equally an onus on the DRC's neighbours to support the peace process in that country and to work actively to consolidate the gains already made. The Government will not hesitate to reiterate this point in any bilateral contacts with the countries of the Great Lakes region, as occurred when the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, met the Ugandan Foreign Minister, Mr. James Wapakhabulo, in Dublin this past August.

The Government, along with its EU partners, is continuing to monitor closely the situation in Burundi where the level of progress achieved in implementing and building upon the Arusha Accord has been less than might have been wished. Of particular concern is the continuation of the campaign of violence by the Hutu-dominated FNL armed group and the failure of the regional heads of state summit in Dar-es-Salaam on 15 September to resolve the outstanding issues between the transitional government in Bujumbura, led by President Ndayizeye, and the CNDD-FDD group, also Hutu-dominated, which has observed a cease-fire since last December. The Government encourages the continuation of negotiations to extend the Arusha Accord to encompass those groups which are not yet party to its terms. We also remain supportive of the efforts of the various special envoys in the region, including the EU's special representative, Mr. Aldo Ajello. We acknowledge and commend the valuable role being played by the African Union and South Africa in mounting the AU peace mission in Burundi. That mission continues to monitor the imperfectly observed ceasefire as well as the process of demobilisation and disarmament.

The consolidation of peace in the Great Lakes region and the mobilisation of international support for the process of reconstruction and development in the region will continue to be a priority for Ireland during our EU Presidency, in the same manner that the situation in the region was a major priority during our membership of the UN Security Council in 2001-02. In particular, we will continue to reiterate the EU's support for the holding of an international conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union and will seek to ensure that the EU makes an effective contribution to the outcome of such a conference.

Ireland will also continue to support the provision of practical assistance from the European Union to assist with implementation of the agreements arising from the inter-Congolese dialogue, including support for the holding of elections and the integration of national police and army forces in the DRC. We will also continue to voice strong support for initiatives aimed at ending the culture of impunity generally in the region and bringing to account all those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.

Question No. 143 answered with Question No. 109.

Question No. 144 answered with Question No. 114.

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