Congo peace helped by
positive meeting of enemies
October 13, 1999
Web posted at: 10:14 AM EDT (1414 GMT)
KAMPALA, Uganda (Reuters) -- The delicate peace process in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo was boosted this week when the warring
parties met and agreed on basic measures to help prevent a new round of
fighting, diplomats said on Wednesday.
They gave formal security guarantees for U.N. peacekeepers who will
monitor compliance with the peace deal and made substantial progress on
defining the territory controlled by each of the forces and the number of
troops they have on the ground.
The advances came at the first meeting of the Joint Military Commission
(JMC), which is charged with implementing the peace deal and includes
officials from the Congolese government, three rebel groups and five other
African nations who sent troops to fight on either side of the Congo war.
The two-day JMC meeting ended in the Ugandan capital Kampala late on
Tuesday with neutral observers claiming more success than they had hoped
for.
"We wondered whether the parties would overcome their personal
animosities to make the necessary compromises," one diplomat said. "I am
amazed at the progress that has been made."
Algerian General Rachid Lallali, who currently chairs the JMC, said he was
encouraged by progress at the talks.
"The spirit of understanding and cooperation is very high among the
members of the commission," he told Reuters.
The Congo war began in August 1998 and sucked in at least five other
African nations, with Uganda and Rwanda backing rival rebel factions and
Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia all backing Congolese President Laurent
Kabila.
But a pan-African peace deal was agreed in August.
It calls for separation of the rival armies, demobilisation of irregular militia
groups operating inside Congo, a national dialogue on the country's political
future and the withdrawal of all foreign armies.
Kabila and the rebels have repeatedly accused each other of violating the
ceasefire but all sides have continued to stress their support for the peace
process.
A team of 90 U.N. observers is to prepare the ground for the deployment of
a 500-strong peacekeeping force but its deployment in the conflict zones
had been delayed because of continuing insecurity.
The security guarantees offered in Kampala on Tuesday should allow that
deployment soon but no firm date has yet been set.
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