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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

DRC: Vice-presidents to be sworn in on 17 July

KINSHASA, 9 July 2003 (IRIN) - The four vice-presidents to serve in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will be sworn in on 17 July, the follow-up committee of the inter-Congolese dialogue announced on Tuesday in the capital, Kinshasa.

The committee has set a new calendar for the inauguration of the transitional national government, with a first meeting due to be held on 19 July, after the swearing-in of the vice-presidents.

The follow-up committee spokesman, Atanase Matenda, said the new calendar should be acceptable to all parties because "no obstacles remain among the main belligerents following the signing of an accord on 29 June regarding the division of responsibilities for a unified national army".

Jean-Pierre Bemba and Azarias Ruberwa, the leaders of the Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) and Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel groups, and two of the country's four vice-presidents designate, are due to arrive in Kinshasa on 14 July.

A global power-sharing accord signed in December 2002 kept Joseph Kabila in his position as president, to be assisted by the four vice-presidents - Bemba and Ruberwa, from the major armed rebel movements; one from Kabila's government, former foreign minister Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi; and one from the unarmed political opposition, Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma.

As for the army, the follow-up committee has foreseen that the chief of staff would be named on Friday 11 July while other military chiefs would be named the day before, on Thursday 10 July.

Discussions have also been held with the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUC, which has agreed to provide 700 military staff to help secure the city of Kinshasa and the transitional government members and institutions.

Parties to the negotiations also named representatives to five institutions charged with supporting the transition to democracy: a national and independent committee for elections; a national human rights observatory; a high authority for media; a truth and reconciliation commission; and an anti-corruption commission.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Governance

[ENDS]

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