I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 53 and 96 together.
On 9 November, the UN Security Council met with the political committee of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement to examine how the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, can be further progressed. The political committee includes representatives of the Governments of the DRC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and three rebel groups in the DRC. Burundi was also represented. Following the meeting, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1376 of 2001, which builds on previous Security Council resolutions and charts a way forward for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the Congo, and for the disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, resettlement or reintegration of the negative forces operating in eastern Congo.
The resolution acknowledges the progress made so far in implementing the Lusaka agreement, including the fact that the ceasefire is generally holding, despite some infringements, and the fact that some foreign forces have withdrawn from the DRC, including all Namibian troops. The resolution states the Council's support for the launching of phase III of the deployment of MONUC, the UN mission in the DRC. MONUC's task during phase III will be to assist in the voluntary disarmament of negative forces, including perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and Burundian rebels, and in the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the Congo. To this end the active co-operation of all parties will be required and the resolution sets out the steps necessary, including the establishment of a direct, confidence-building dialogue between the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda.