United Nations S/PV.4410 Security Council Provisional Fifty-sixth year 4410th meeting Friday, 9 November 2001, 11.15 a.m. New York President: Mr. Patterson .................................... (Jamaica) Members: Bangladesh ...................................... Mr. Amin China .......................................... Mr. Wang Yingfan Colombia ....................................... Mr. Valdivieso France .......................................... Mr. Levitte Ireland ......................................... Mr. Corr Mali ........................................... Mr. Ouane Mauritius ....................................... Mr. Koonjul Norway ......................................... Mr. Kolby Russian Federation ................................ Mr. Granovsky Singapore ....................................... Mr. Mahbubani Tunisia ......................................... Mr. Mejdoub Ukraine ......................................... Mr. Krokhmal United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .... Sir Jeremy Greenstock United States of America ........................... Mr. Cunningham Agenda The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-178. 01-62870 (E) *0162870* S/PV.4410 The meeting was called to order at 11.20 a.m. Congolese Rally for Democracy-Kisangani (RCD-K), to take seats at the Council table. Adoption of the agenda The Security Council will now begin its The agenda was adopted. consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of in its prior consultations. the Congo I now give the floor to the Secretary-General, Mr. The President: In accordance with the relevant Kofi Annan. provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s The Secretary-General: Let me first say how provisional rules of procedure, I invite The Honourable happy I am, Mr. President, to see you presiding over João Bernardo de Miranda, Minister for Foreign this meeting. Affairs of Angola and current Chairman of the Political Committee of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement; Mr. Let me also welcome the Political Committee of Térence Sinunguruza, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Lusaka Agreement. I hope that this meeting with Cooperation of Burundi; Mr. Léonard She Okitundu, the Security Council will enable all parties to agree to Minister for Foreign Affairs and International move forward together in the peace process. Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; In my last report to the Council, I recommended The Honourable Tuliameni Kalomoh, Deputy Minister that the United Nations Organization Mission in the for Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting of Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) be Namibia; Mr. Patrick Mazimhaka, Special Envoy of the authorized to enter phase III of its deployment. For that President of Rwanda; The Honourable James deployment to succeed, however, the parties Wapakhabulo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for themselves must live up to their responsibilities. I Foreign Affairs of Uganda; The Honourable Keli S. would therefore like to reiterate some of my concerns. Walubita, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia; and The Honourable Stanislaus I.G. Mudenge, Minister for First and foremost, the fighting in the east of the Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe, to take seats at the country must stop. No one should give any further Council table. support to the armed groups that continue to fight in the east, and no one should take any further aggressive At the invitation of the President, Mr. de Miranda action against them. (Angola), Mr. Sinunguruza (Burundi), Mr. She Okitundu (Democratic Republic of the Congo), At the same time, everything possible must be Mr. Kalomoh (Namibia), Mr. Mazimhaka done to create conditions that will encourage former (Rwanda), Mr. Wapakhabulo (Uganda), Mr. combatants to return voluntarily to their homes, and Walubita (Zambia) and Mr. Mudenge (Zimbabwe) enable them to be settled safely. took seats at the Council table. (spoke in French) The President: In accordance with rule 39 of the The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Rwanda must reach an understanding on the process of Amos Namanga Ngongi, Special Representative of the the disarmament, demobilization and repatriation of Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the combatants, and on the creation of a coordination Congo, and Mr. Amadou Kébé, Permanent Observer of mechanism to facilitate a smooth transition from the Organization of African Unity/African Union, to disarmament to reintegration. take seats at the Council table. I invite Mr. Archibald M. Mogwe, representative of the facilitator for the Kisangani must be demilitarized, in accordance inter-Congolese dialogue, to take a seat at the side of with resolution 1304 (2000). I call on the the Council Chamber. I invite Mr. Olivier Kamitatu, Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD) to Secretary-General of the Movement for the Liberation implement, without further delay, the measures of the Congo (MLC); Mr. Azarias Ruberwa, Secretary- proposed to that end by my Special Representative, Mr. General of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD- Ngongi. It is also my intention to strengthen the Goma); and Mr. Pashi-Claver, representative of the 2 S/PV.4410 military presence of MONUC in Kisangani in order to Congolese parties, to work with the United Nations facilitate the demilitarization of that city. Children’s Fund and my Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, as well as with The deployment of MONUC at Kindu is aimed at MONUC’s child protection officers, to draw up and creating a climate of security, encouraging the armed implement agreements on demobilizing child soldiers groups to disarm. I therefore note with concern the as soon as possible. decision of the RCD and the Mouvement pour la libération du Congo (MLC) to establish a special joint The peace process in the Democratic Republic of force based at Kindu that would be in charge of the Congo may be at a turning point. At stake is the tracking down and neutralizing all negative forces. reunification of the country after years of war. Kindu must in no instance be used as a base for the MONUC stands ready to make a decisive contribution launching of military operations. by deploying to the East. As the Security Council prepares to take action on my recommendations, I call (spoke in English) on the parties to fulfil their important responsibilities The withdrawal of the Namibian troops and, also, and so bring to completion the peace process they many of the Ugandan troops from the territory of the began in Lusaka more than two years ago. Democratic Republic of the Congo is encouraging. I The President: I now have great pleasure in strongly urge the Angolan, Zimbabwean and Rwandan giving the floor to the Chairman of the Political Governments to speed up preparations for the rapid Committee of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, the withdrawal of their troops. Honourable João Bernardo de Miranda, Minister for The reopening of the River Congo and its Foreign Affairs of Angola. tributaries is the most important single step that can Mr. Miranda (Angola) (spoke in Portuguese; now be taken to reunite the country and stimulate interpretation provided by the delegation): It is a great economic and social life. I call on all parties to help honour for me to address this forum in my capacity as MONUC to do its part in achieving that objective, Chairman of the Political Committee of the Lusaka notably by dismantling checkpoints and removing any Ceasefire Agreement. Allow me first to commend the other remaining barriers to free movement. initiative to convene this joint meeting with the I urge members of the Political Committee, members of the Security Council. Although this has especially the Congolese parties, to support the neutral become a routine practice, it is more important than facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, Sir ever today because it occurs on the eve of a decisive Ketumile Masire, and I welcome the willingness of the stage in the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement Government of South Africa to host the dialogue when in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the it resumes. But the Congolese parties should not wait launching of phase III of the deployment of the United for this formal resumption. I hope they will continue to Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic meet informally for constructive discussions on the Republic of the Congo (MONUC). country’s future. The fundamental reason for this meeting is to I would also urge the three Congolese parties to determine together how to ensure the maintenance continue efforts to improve human rights within the and strengthening of the ceasefire, to achieve the areas they control. All those in authority have a duty to disarmament and demobilization of the armed groups, investigate alleged violations and to take appropriate to accelerate the withdrawal of foreign forces, to step action. The international community