BuaNews (Tshwane)
Michael Appel
2 April 2008
Pretoria — Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad has assured a visiting ministerial delegation from the DRC that South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are committed to post-conflict reconstruction in that country.
"It is part of South Africa's broad foreign policy to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC], and I would like to assure them that they can count on the unwavering support of SADC and South Africa," said the minister.
The minister's comments were made at the opening of the 5th session of the South Africa - DRC Bi-National Committee (SA-DRC-BNC) on Wednesday.
The minister highlighted that a number of issues would be discussed including the election process, safety and security, post-conflict reconstruction and the development process.
The meeting will also focus on a number of sectors including infrastructure development, employment, education, water, energy and health.
"The meeting will look at the progress that has been made in the implementation of the 27 agreements and Memorandum's of Understanding [MOUs] signed at the 4th BNC in August 2007 in Kinshasa, and will critically evaluate what achievements have been made," said Mr Pahad.
The DRC is largely peaceful apart from the eastern region of the country where armed rebel groups still seek to destabilise the country and destroy the massive gains made in transforming the country into a fully fledged democracy.
"It is good to note, however, that a roundtable peace conference was held in Goma from 6-24 January 2008 at which an agreement was signed," said the minister.
The peace agreement, he said, was to disarm and integrate armed groups in eastern DRC who have perpetuated a climate of instability in the whole region.
He highlighted that peace and stability in the DRC could only be successful and sustained if it was developed within a framework of the African agenda.
Despite problems in the DRC, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Sudan is crumbling, and deployment of the African Union (AU) - United Nations (UN) hybrid force is stagnant.
Problems in Burundi and the continuing conflict in Somalia along with the elections in Zimbabwe are all issues that need to be discussed within the framework of the African agenda, said the minister.
The ministerial meeting - chaired by acting Foreign Minister Zola Skweyiya and the DRC's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Mbusa Nyamwisi - will discuss a number of issues and set the agenda for the BNC's Heads of State Session on Thursday.
Mr Nyamwisi highlighted the DRC's commitment to implementing the various agreements and MOUs signed at the last BNC and expressed his hope that more agreements would be signed this year.
Focus of their discussions, he said, would fall on education, health, employment, water and energy.
The DRC is home to the Inga Hydroelectric Programme which utilises the incredible power of the Congo River to generate electricity.
The DRC, similar to South Africa is blessed with vast mineral resources, yet lacks proper infrastructure exacerbated by decades of civil war. -
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