DATE=12/12/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CONGO/HOLBROOKE (L-O)
NUMBER=2-257078
BYLINE=JOHN PITMAN
DATELINE=ABIDJAN
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: U-S ambassador to the United Nations Richard
Holbrooke wrapped up an 11-day tour of West and
Central Africa Saturday. Mr. Holbrooke's visit
focused on the war in Congo-Kinshasa and its fragile
peace process. V-O-A's John Pitman has details from
our West Africa bureau.
TEXT: Mr. Holbrooke's visit to Africa took him to the
capitals of all the countries involved in the Congo
conflict and included a meeting in Uganda with the
leaders of the Congolese rebellion.
The tour culminated with a brief stop Saturday in the
Congolese capital, Kinshasa, where Mr. Holbrooke met
with President Laurent Kabila to discuss the shaky
Lusaka peace accord, as well as efforts to organize a
national debate for the Congo.
Mr. Holbrooke said all of the warring parties he had
spoken to on his trip had voiced their continuing
commitment to the Lusaka accord. But with nearly
daily reports of cease-fire violations on all sides,
Mr. Holbrooke added that the accord's signatories need
to do more to carry out the commitments they made when
they signed the deal in Lusaka, Zambia in July.
Ironically, this statement mirrors one of the Kinshasa
government's major complaints since July - that the
international community has also been slow to carry
out the promises it made in the Zambian capital.
Under the Lusaka accord, the United Nations is to
deploy a major peacekeeping force to the Congo, which
will act as a buffer between the warring sides, and
eventually help disarm and demobilize the combatants.
But weeks of political bickering between the world
body and the Congolese government have delayed the
arrival of the bulk of the U-N force. So far, only a
token number of observers have set up shop in the
capitals of the countries involved in the war.
Referring to the on-going cease-fire violations, Mr.
Holbrooke said the deployment of the peacekeeping
force to Congo would continue to be hindered until, in
his words -- an "effective" program is in place.
/// OPT /// The Kinshasa government maintains the
only way the peace accord can be fully implemented is
if the foreign countries backing the rebels - namely
Rwanda and Uganda - withdraw their troops first.
Friday, Congolese Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia
also criticized the international community for
dragging its feet on its commitments, and said it was
unacceptable for people to treat the rebels and their
foreign allies on the same basis as the government in
Kinshasa. /// END OPT ///
Before leaving the Congolese capital, Mr. Holbrooke
announced movement in the effort to select a mediator
for a national dialogue between the Congolese
government, the political opposition, and the rebels.
Mr. Holbrooke said President Kabila wants to select a
mediator "quickly." He also announced that the
Organization of African Unity would get more involved
in the selection process.
/// REST OPT ///
On his way back to the U-S, Mr. Holbrooke stopped
Saturday in the West African country of Niger, where
he met briefly with the country's newly elected
president, Mamadou Tandja.
In Niger's capital, Niamey, Mr. Holbrooke said U-S aid
to Niger would likely increase now that a civilian
government is back in charge. The U-S cut most of its
assistance programs to Niger following military coups
in 1996 and in April of this year.
Mr. Holbrooke stressed that changes in the level of U-
S aid to Niger would be tied to the outcome of
negotiations on economic reforms between President
Tandja's government and the World Bank. (SIGNED)
NEB/JP/ALW/RAE
12-Dec-1999 12:54 PM EDT (12-Dec-1999 1754 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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