• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

DRC: Calendar set for transitional government institutions

KINSHASA, 6 May 2003 (IRIN) - The follow-up committee for the inter-Congolese dialogue (ICD) has published its calendar for the establishment of various institutions of the two-year national transitional government to be installed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The committee's spokesman, Athanase Matenda Kyelu, said the installation of the government comprising all parties to the ICD will take place on 28 May. Meanwhile, the deadline for all parties to submit their lists of candidates for the government, including vice-presidents, will be maintained for Wednesday.

"We agreed on 22 May as the date for the arrival of the vice-presidents in Kinshasa and 23 May for their swearing-in," Matenda said.

So far, only the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Goma rebel movement has yet to submit its vice-presidential candidate. Negotiations were under way on Tuesday in Goma in an effort to finalise this and other government nominations.

Under the power-sharing accord signed by all parties to the ICD, the transitional government will be headed by President Joseph Kabila, accompanied by four vice-presidents.

The vice-presidential candidates nominated so far include Jean-Pierre Bemba, the leader of the Mouvement de liberation du Congo; Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi, a long-time Kabila ally; and Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma, a long-time opposition politician who will be representing the unarmed political opposition.

The follow-up committee also selected 14 May and 10 June as deadlines for the submission of candidates for the national assembly and the Senate, respectively.

With regard to a united national military, the committee fixed 12 May as the deadline for the selection of an armed forces chief of staff.

For its part, the international committee to accompany the transition in the DRC, comprising the ambassadors to the DRC from all five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US), as well as ambassadors of other countries, and headed by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to the DRC, Amos Namanga Ngongi, has promised that it will have the first elements of a neutral international force in place by 25 May. This force will be responsible for the security of all transitional government institutions and participants.

Kabila, who is also the head of the follow-up committee, has launched an appeal for a ceasefire among belligerents who are continuing to fight in the eastern regions of the country.

"I am asking all those who are still fighting and those who are supporting them to stop and give peace a chance,” he said in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday. “I call upon the combatants to cease this useless fighting, which is delaying the reunification of our country."

Themes: (IRIN) Governance

[ENDS]

The material contained on this Web site comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post any item on this site, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All graphics and Images on this site may not be re-produced without the express permission of the original owner. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003