UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan conferred for the second day Wednesday with President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and held separate meetings with the four power-sharing Vice Presidents of the vast country, where the UN is heavily involved in cementing the transition from a bloody civil war to peace and democracy.
– The Congolese people have shown that they are determined to overcome the divisions of the past and build a future together, he said in an address to the population in the capital Kinshasa which was attended by the President, other high officials and members of political parties and civil society.
Mr. Annan, on the fourth leg of his current mission in Africa, met with the President of the Independent Electoral Commission, Abbe Malu Malu, ahead of the 18 June poll, which the UN is helping to organize in the largest and most expensive electoral operation the world body has ever undertaken.
In his address, Mr. Annan looked beyond the essential 18 June elections and turned to the huge challenges lying ahead.
And they are manifold, such as
– the need for efficient control of natural resources,
– good management of state enterprises,
– a fully national development policy that excludes no region and
– restoration of state authority over the entire country. There are still various militia groups fighting in the east.
He stressed the imperatives of bringing security to the entire population and stability to all regions, of setting up a truly integrated army and police force, and of re-establishing normal relations with the DR Congos neighbours for the sake of peace and stability in the whole of the Great Lakes region despite the rifts of the past that saw various nations supporting opposing armed factions in the country.
– Beyond the important challenges that remain to be faced, the international community can only be pleased at the progress made these last months in the DR Congo in the preparation for the elections. This evolution is the fruit of the efforts and determination of an entire people to express its collective will to live in peace. It redounds to your credit, Mr. Annan stated.
The UN Organization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUC) was set up by the Security Council to help foster peace and stability after a six-year civil war that cost 4 million lives. At present MONUC has nearly 17.000 uniformed personnel, including troops, military observers and as well as over 850 international civilian personnel, more than 1.400 local civilian staff and 470 UN volunteers.
Thursday, Mr. Annan travels to Kisangani in the east of the country and then leaves for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Kilde: FNs nyhedstjeneste
