Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 27. januar 2006 / Time Line January 27, 2006
Version 3.526. Januar 2006, 28. Januar 2006
01/27/2006
Security Council reviews proposed peacebuilding in Africa's
Great Lakes region
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17325&Cr=great&Cr1=lakes
27 January 2006 - The United Nations Security Council today called
on the States organizing the International Conference on the Great
Lakes Region to finalize preparations for their second summit,
postponed from last month, to show their will to maintain their
momentum towards establishing peace and stability.
The call came in a resolution unanimously adopted by the Council
after an all-day meeting addressed by 45 representatives, including
14 cabinet ministers and deputy ministers. By its terms, the
Council encouraged leaders "to finalize the preparations for the
second Summit, including a clear focus on peace and security
issues, with a view to adopting a Security, Stability and
Development Pact for the countries of the Great Lakes region."
Following on from the first summit in November 2004 in
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, the countries of the region should
continue their collective efforts to develop a sub-regional
approach for promoting good relations, peaceful coexistence and
peaceful resolution of disputes as envisaged in the Dar-es-Salaam
Declaration, the Council said. Tanzania also holds the Council's
rotating presidency for this month.
The core countries of the conference are Angola, Burundi, Central
African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The Group
of Friends of the Great Lakes Region comprises 28 countries, mainly
from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), plus Gabon, Nigeria and South Africa and 10 international
organizations.
The second summit, scheduled for last 15 and 16 December, was
delayed at the DRC's request. The Kinshasa Government said that the
referendum on its draft Constitution was scheduled for 18 and 19
December and that it preferred to hold the International Conference
after the scheduled conclusion of its transitional political
process in June of this year.
Addressing the Council today, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation, Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro,
recalled the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and stressed the need to work
together to avoid the repetition of such catastrophes.
The countries of the region were working at the national and
international levels to create mechanisms to strengthen mutual
confidence and trust as a basis for peace and stability and the UN
Security Council was their key partner as they faced both residual
and new challenges, she said.
According to a concept paper from Tanzanian Ambassador Augustine
Mahiga, the discussion should propose ways to promote and protect
human rights and reconciliation, as well as the participation of
civil society, including women, in issues of peace and security and
the strengthening of a coordinated response from the core countries
and the international community on needed humanitarian
assistance.
In a recent report to the Council Secretary-General Kofi Annan
called for a new summit date to be set as soon as possible. New and
negative events in the region could render the Conference process
more fragile, he warned, adding that some might interpret
postponement as a sign of a lack of commitment.
"Every effort should be made by the countries of the region to
ensure the convening of the Nairobi Summit as early as possible,
both to maintain momentum and to build on the gains and
achievements made thus far," sending a strong and much-needed
signal that the process is still on track, he said.
"It would be regrettable to allow, at this late stage, loss of
momentum after so many resources have been devoted to successfully
bringing so many conflicting parties together," Mr. Annan said.
Also addressing the Council today was the Secretary-General's
Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Ibrahima Fall,
whose office in Nairobi, Kenya, is administering conference
preparations. He said the areas under discussion fell into four
categories: peace and security; democracy and good governance;
economic development and regional integration; and humanitarian and
social questions.
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