United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
Monuc
4 April 2008
Mr. Alan Doss, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, was in Goma on 4 February 2008 for the official opening ceremony of the mixed technical commission on peace and security in the Kivus, otherwise known as the "Amani Programme."
In a short speech, Mr. Doss stressed that the launch of the Amani programme is the second phase in the Kivus peace process.
"The Goma Conference was the negotiation phase, and we are now in the realisation phase." Mr. Doss appealed to all parties to work hard and with a sense of urgency, because more than one million displaced persons and refugees are waiting for the Goma conference commitments to be fulfilled.
"In the last weeks, the United Nations gave priority to the monitoring and consolidation of the cease-fire. An informal dialogue mechanism was establsihed between the FARDC and the armed groups, and the UN would like to see this quickly formalized," Mr. Doss said.
"There have been many violations of the cease-fire, but much was due to banditry than to real military action; none of the violations were likely to affect the peace process," he added.
To reduce human rights violations, Mr. Doss appealed to all armed groups as well as FARDC commanders to impose more discipline on their troops.
He appealed to members of the future Joint Committee to very quickly tackle the delicate issues: the strict observation of the cease-fire and the military structures which will be deployed in the east in the future; so that the Kivus can find a durable peace.
Mr. Doss said that MONUC and other international partners had experts at the disposal of the Amani programme to work out concrete and realistic options, for which the necessary resources could also be mobilised.
"To reach peace - a durable peace - in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo - is a priority for us," he concluded.
"The Security Council put it in our mandate. But I am convinced that it is a priority shared by us all: the government, armed groups, other actors of the Amani programme, and especially the people of the Kivu provinces and all the Congolese people. It is now time for a joint and concerted effort for peace."
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