espect
the cease-fire and commitment in the withdrawal of foreign troops
from the Congolese territory. These are the virtuous resolutions
announced in an official communication released last night by the
participants of the summit held in Lusaka (Zambia), with the intent
of accelerating the peace process in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, devastated by a war which broke out on August 2, 1998.
But the good will for peace is not enough, as in the last few years, various resolutions have been professed by the governments involved in the armed crisis.
Only the Presidents of Angola and Uganda were not present at the summit in Lusaka between the African Heads of State for the Congolese conflict. Dos Santos and Yoweri Museveni sent their Foreign Ministers to the meeting. The first to arrive in the Zambian capital this morning were Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sam Nujoma, President of Namibia. Other heads of state were South African President, Thabo Mbeki, President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe and Rwandan President Paul Kagame
But the good will for peace is not enough, as in the last few years, various resolutions have been professed by the governments involved in the armed crisis. The truth is that up until now only Namibia has withdrawn its troops from Congo, while the Angolan and Zimbabwean troops supported by Kinshasa and the Rwandan and Ugandan troops that support the RCD (Congolese Rally for Democracy) are still stationed in the territory. The talks brought together the leaders and foreign ministers of the six countries embroiled in the four-year war in the former Zaire.
All the parties involved in the summit agree on the necessity of deploying a peace keeping force in the country that can guarantee the process of reconciliation. But the observers reveal that the interests at stake, especially linked to the control of the Congolese ore deposits, represent the most important obstacle to go from words to facts. The Lusaka summit here came nine days before the scheduled close of the 45-day peace talks in Sun City, which began late in February.
(From MISNA)