Tripartite Meeting in Kigali Is Confidence Booster, Envoy Says
24 May 2006
Ambassador Arietti comments on aspects of personal diplomacy
By Jim Fisher-Thompson
Washington File Correspondent
Kigali, Rwanda -- Personal diplomacy quietly but persistently is building confidence in the days leading up to the May 26-27 meeting of diplomats and senior government officials pledged to ending the violence that has plagued Africa’s Great Lakes region for decades, according to U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Michael Arietti.
During a May 24 interview with the Washington File, Arietti explained that, because of its personal aspect, the Tripartite Peace Process -- due for its 14th meeting in Kigali -- has turned out to be one of the most effective conflict resolution mechanisms on the continent.
“It proved to be a success because it has been very hands-on and focused on getting results.” That became possible when government officials decided to meet on a regular basis to help relieve political tensions, the diplomat said.
The process began in April 2004 when the United States convinced senior officials from Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to start talks aimed at stopping cross-border violations of their territories while hammering out ways to pursue marauding militias operating in and out of eastern Congo. Burundi later joined the talks.
The Tripartite Joint Commission was established to oversee implementation of a regional security agreement among the parties who had become involved in eastern Congo.
“The Tripartite had many goals, but I think one of the most important was to increase the level of trust amongst the participating countries. When the Tripartite was started, there were many signed agreements between the countries to do things, especially in the area of security, but they were not being implemented,” Arietti said.
The veteran diplomat explained that implementation required improved confidence among the countries. “So this succession of meetings has brought together people at different levels -- sometimes at ministerial levels, sometimes at lower levels -- and they’re looking at very practical ways for moving forward.”
One issue that will be raised at the Kigali meeting, Arietti said, involves enhancing the capabilities of the Tripartite Fusion Cell (TFC), which, he said, was located in eastern Congo, and is basically a clearinghouse for information about cross-border violations and the reported movements of marauding militias.
The idea, Arietti explained, is to clear up the rumors of movements and violations and sort fact from fiction. Inaccurate information had become a source of much mistrust and tension among the parties in the Great Lakes region.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Don Yamamoto will attend the Kigali meeting. (See related article.)
The Tripartite Joint Commission (TJC) itself emphasizes the need for “coordination, consultation and evaluation” in a document setting out its specific objectives that include the need to “consult and agree on strategies and means to disarm, demobilize, reintegrate and resettle all armed rebel groups and militias operating in the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo” as well as “work with all stakeholders to encourage the voluntary return of refugees in the region to their countries of origin.”
The TJC also has established the Subcommission on Security and Defense and on Diplomatic Affairs, which was charged at an April meeting to examine “enhancing functioning and operational effectiveness of the TFC.”
It is expected the subcommission’s report will form the framework for discussion of the fusion cell at the Kigali meeting.
For additional information on U.S. policy, see Africa.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
