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DATE=6/22/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N / CONGO STATEMENT (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-263668
BYLINE=BRECK ARDERY
DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations Security Council has 
deplored Congo President Laurent Kabila's decision to 
shut down the office of a national mediator.  V-O-A 
Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from the United 
Nations. 
TEXT:  The Council was reacting (Thursday) to news 
that President Kabila has ordered the closure of the 
Kinshasa office of Ketumile Masire, the former 
president of Botswana.  Mr. Masire was appointed by 
the Organization of African Unity to lead a dialogue 
among various factions in Congo.  That dialogue, which 
was a part of last year's Lusaka cease-fire agreement, 
is considered by many to be a critical element in 
reconciling various rebel factions in Congo with the 
national government.
Security Council President Jean Levitte of France told 
reporters that members of the Council strongly believe 
President Kabila should reopen Mr. Masire's office.
                  /// LEVITTE ACT ///
      They called on the government of the Democratic 
      Republic of the Congo to reaffirm its full 
      commitment to the national dialogue which 
      constitutes a central element of the Lusaka 
      agreement.  They call for the reopening of the 
      office of the facilitator.
                  /// END ACT ///
Mr. Levitte also said that, in his capacity as 
President of the Security Council, he will discuss the 
latest development in Congo with officials of the 
Organization of African Unity.
Diplomats say President Kabila's action appears to 
further complicate United Nations involvement in 
Congo, where a multi-sided civil war has continued 
despite the almost one-year-old cease-fire agreement. 
The United Nations currently has a small military 
presence in Congo, and is planning to increase its 
commitment to 55-hundred troops.  However, U-N 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently suggested the 
U-N strategy in Congo may have to be reconsidered.   
(Signed)
NEB/UN/BA/LSF/WTW
22-Jun-2000 16:47 PM EDT (22-Jun-2000 2047 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.