Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-11-19-Speech-3-011"
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"en.20081119.3.3-011"2
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Mr President, first, I will quickly say to Mr van Buitenen that I have indeed noted what he said and that I will certainly take his message to my colleagues, who will definitely reply tomorrow.
In this respect, the visit just made to the region by Mr Obasanjo is very encouraging. The visit has reassured us about the possibilities of military intervention by certain countries in the region, and it obtained guarantees from President Kabila that Kinshasa would be ready to listen to the CNDP demands and also ready to go down the path of dialogue. During the visit, the CNDP’s grievances were also heard and General Nkunda reaffirmed his readiness to observe a ceasefire and do everything to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in the areas under his control.
It is, therefore, crucial to maintain the current political momentum and do all we can to ensure that the declarations of the various players are put into practice. It is, then, high time to treat the underlying causes of the crisis in the east of the country, with which everyone is familiar: the presence of the FDLR, the organised pillage of mineral resources, the political frustrations of communities and minorities, and ideas must be made to converge.
On this matter, it is crucial for the entire international community to support the diplomatic efforts introduced in the wake of the Nairobi Summit and that the international efforts be coordinated to allow sufficient space to Presidents Obasanjo and Mkapa to continue the negotiations.
It is also important to highlight the role of MONUC. It is not MONUC which is responsible for all sorts of abuses of power. MONUC is actually doing important work, despite the poverty of the resources it receives and the restrictions on its functions. It is also carrying out a job which would be difficult to replace, that of ensuring peace, rather than waging war.
However, it is even more important to support the current efforts to strengthen its mandate at a moment in which, in the coming days, the Security Council is to consider this question. The mandate, we think, should be extended, to include, for example, control of the pillaging of natural resources and, especially, as the President of the Council said, increasing the resources available to enable it to do so.
Mr President, honourable Members and Mr President-in-Office of the Council, my dear Jean-Pierre, today I am standing in for my fellow Commissioner, Louis Michel, who is unable to take part in this session for health reasons, and who has asked me to send his apologies to you.
You know the regard in which Commissioner Michel holds the Great Lakes region. Indeed, as the President of the Council has already stated, he was the first to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to Rwanda, on 30 and 31 October last, at the height of the crisis, to try to resolve matters. From this shadow diplomacy mission arose the idea of organising the Nairobi conference, whose practical conclusions today give us new prospects for emerging from the crisis.
As for the response that the Commission is able to make, I would like to share with you an analysis of the situation from two aspects, although these are very similar to those described by the President of the Council.
First, on the humanitarian level: the international community, including the European Union, is in the process of providing a response to the crisis. The Commission immediately mobilised EUR 6.3 million to meet emergency needs. However, we remain very vigilant, so that we can adapt this amount as the situation develops; the humanitarian needs are, on the whole, covered in Kivu and there is really good coordination between the humanitarian agencies.
The Commission and the Member States jointly announced, in Marseille on 14 November, new contributions totalling an extra EUR 43.5 million to meet the crisis.
The biggest problem remains, however, one of access to the populations in some areas where there is continuing fighting between the Congolese Armed Forces, their Mai-Mai allies and the FDLR, on the one hand and the CNDP on the other, as no party is respecting the ceasefire.
Secondly, on the political and military level: in eastern DRC, no military solution is possible. There is only room for a balanced political solution, built on dialogue. This was also recommended by the countries in the region, at the Nairobi Summit on 7 November and, above all, this also seemed to be what the CNDP rebels and a large part of the political establishment in Kinshasa, such as the National Assembly, were hoping for.
The Commission is, therefore, highly satisfied with the conclusions of the summit held by the heads of state of the Great Lakes countries, more particularly with the decision to involve African diplomacy at a high level in the resolution of the crisis and to introduce a verification mechanism to allow the heads of state in the region to monitor developments closely and to provide the necessary responses in a timely fashion."@en1
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