DATE=4/11/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CONGO-KINSHASA / U-N (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-261167
BYLINE=JOHN PITMAN
DATELINE=ABIDJAN
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The top United Nations official in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo says the cease-fire
set to take effect on Friday (April 14th) in Congo-
Kinshasa is what he calls "a test" for all the parties
involved in the war. V-O-A's John Pitman reports from
our West Africa bureau.
TEXT: In a news release, U-N special representative
Kamel Morjane (pron.: Mor-zhan) called the latest
cease-fire agreement an "important step" in the
Congolese peace process.
Mr. Morjane said the cease-fire is a "constructive
evolution" of the process that began last July in
Lusaka, Zambia, but which, to date, has failed to stop
the war.
The new cease-fire signed in Uganda last week is set
to take effect on Friday. Under the terms of the
truce, all of the warring sides are to withdraw their
forces from the front lines and create demilitarized
corridors.
The United Nations, which has promised to deploy five-
thousand peacekeepers to the Congo, would use these
corridors to send in troops and equipment -- but only
after the cease-fire has been verified.
In his news release, Mr. Morjane called the
disengagement plan "a test of parties' real
willingness to move forward in the resolution of the
crisis."
Rampant violations of the Lusaka cease-fire, signed
last July and August, are the main reason why the
United Nations has not deployed (peacekeeping units)
in Congo-Kinshasa. U-N officials also have expressed
frustration with constraints on their ability to
travel freely within the war zone, and with the lack
of security guarantees from the warring sides.
Warning that similar violations and obstructions could
further damage the peace process, Mr. Morjane's
statement called on the warring sides to "put an end
to acts which interfere with efforts for peace and
dialogue."
The head of the U-N Observer Mission in Congo-
Kinshasa, which is better known by its acronym,
"MONUC" (pron. Mow-Newk), also called on the warring
sides to provide prompt information about the
redeployment of their forces.
U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan is also cited in Mr.
Morjane's statement as being determined to continue
preparing for the peacekeepers' deployment to Congo-
Kinshasa.
That determination faces an uphill battle, however,
according to another statement made by the secretary
general this week. On Monday, Mr. Annan said in New
York that so far, less than one-half of the troops
needed for the Congo mission have been committed by U-
N members.
/// REST OPT ///
The Secretary General said there is an urgent need for
technical and logistical support units, especially air
crews. With thousands of kilometers to cover and
virtually no roads, the U-N mission will depend
almost exclusively on air support to move troops and
equipment inside Congo-Kinshasa. (Signed)
NEB/JP/JWH/ENE/JP
11-Apr-2000 10:47 AM EDT (11-Apr-2000 1447 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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