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NEWS ON CONGO 043: 1/2 A "partial" peace agreement [Posted: 20.04.02] NOTE: On websites with information on the DR Congo and for some contact addresses, see endnote last in "NOC 044", the continuation of this item. INTRO NOTE: Items 043 and 044 contain: In 043: A: On the imperialist war against the DR Congo (General information, repeated from "NOC 040-041") B: Press statement by the government of the DR Congo, 17 April 2002 (in translation by me from the text in French as reproduced to the CONGOTRIBUNE mailing list, address see endnote) C: Press communiqué by the Mai-Mai movement, 18 April 2002 (translation) In 044: D: An AFP news report from Kigali, Rwanda, 17.04 (trans- lation): "Combats in Kasaï Oriental province, central DRC (rebellion)" E: A message to the CONGOTRIBUNE mailing list, 20.04 (translation): "Serious violence at Bukavu" F: Other information in brief, and a preliminary assess- ment (RM) A. ON THE IMPERIALIST WAR AGAINST THE DR CONGO In the DR Congo, then called "Zaire", an uprising against the Mobutu dictatorship which had oppressed and fleeced the people in favour of imperialism since 35 years back started in late 1996 and was victorious on 17.05.1997, when the pre- sent state, the Democratic Republic of Congo, was founded. The liberation struggle was led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who also became the first president of the DRC. The DR Congo from the start set itself the goal of freeing the country from imperialist exploitation and building up an actually democratic form of government in it, thereby also setting up an example for all of Africa and for simi- larly exploited countries elsewhere. Because of this, the US and other imperialists instigated a war of aggression against that country on 02.08.1998 by three neighbouring states, a war which so far, directly or indi- rectly, has cost the lives of over 3,000,000 people and which still continues. One-half of the DR Congo today is under fo- reign occupation. The people in the whole country continues to suffer enormously. It very much needs the support of the people in all other countries. After the foul murder of L-D Kabila on 16.01.2001, his son, Joseph Kabila, was installed as president; a government led by J. Kabila has continued the struggle against the aggres- sion since then. Since some weeks back now, a conference is being held in Sun City, South Africa, in which attempts by the imperia- lists to gain control over the whole of the DR Congo by so- called "peaceful" means are confronted by the strivings of the Congolese people and the country's lawful government to retain the independence of the DRC. The UN Security Council on 19.03 by its Resolution 1399 (2002) condemned the recent military seizure by the aggres- sors, in flagrant violation of the present armistice, of the city of Moliro in the south-east of the DR Congo, and demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the forces of the so-called "RCD-Goma", one of the aggressors' puppets, from that city. B: PRESS STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DR CONGO, 17 APRIL 2002 *Press statement by the government concerning the South African proposal regarding the institutions of transition* Ladies and gentlemen, Since 25 February 2002, day by day, the Congolese of the Go- vernment of the Democratic Republic of Congo, of the RCD/Goma, the MLC, the RCD/ML, the Civil Society [les Forces vives - Tr.], the RCD/National and the Mai-Mai patriots have debated in vain in order to work out by consensus the institutions and the constitutional text which are to govern the Congo during the period of transition. [Note: The "RCD" has been acting as a Congolese mili- tary puppet of the Rwandan invaders. It's divided into several factions, as seen here. The "MLC" has been acting as a Congolese military puppet of the Ugandan invaders. These groups are the ones which are always being called "rebel groups" by the mass media of the imperialists. The Mai-Mai movement in the eastern DR Congo has been fighting the aggression by Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi since its beginning, in August -1998. - Tr.] Last Friday, 12 April 2002, the mediator of the negotiations made public the proposal submitted to the delegates by the President of the Republic of South Africa regarding a solution of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [Note: The text as reproduced to the CONGOTRIBUNE mailing list reads "Last Friday, 11 April 2000...". I'm assuming that it's the date that is erroneous here. The proposal mentioned, the second by Mbeki, was submitted on Thursday, 11.04. See "NOC 041" - Tr.] The government of the Republic appreciates the just intentions of this initiative by Thabo Mbeki, which has the advantage of providing a concrete political plan, proceeding from which real negotiations among the Congolese protagonists present at Sun City could start. This South African proposal, which envisages classical insti- tutions such as the President, the Parliament, the Government led by a Prime Minister, as well as Courts and Tribunals, adds to this arrangement two major innovations, namely, the High Council of the Republic [Conseil Supérieur de la République] and the Council for the Defence [Conseil de la Défence]. It is under these circumstances that the Government, as we have said above, has engaged in formal and informal contacts with the MLC, the RCD, the political opposition, the Civil So- ciety, the RCD/ML, the RCD/N and the Mai-Mai patriots in order to reach an all-embracing agreement. All efforts have been made to arrive at a plan of institutionions which could pre- serve the equilibry so as to allow the organising of free and democratic elections during the period of transition. Unfortu- nately, none of those plans which have been presented to the Political and Legal Commission and to the ad hoc commission on the differences concerning the new political order have received the approval of everybody. In order not to disappoint our people and to let the work at Sun City produce a framework agreement which will allow the process of national reconciliation to continue, the Government decided to make contact during a week with all the partici- pants and all the forces represented in the national Dialogue with a view to seek together with them a solution to the Con- golese crisis. It is within this framework that, as we have said above, the Government, after having consulted all the participants, today has reached an agreement with the Mouve- ment de Libération du Congo [MLC]. This agreement concerns those transition institutions of classical type which are also part of the plan proposed by the South African President, Thabo Mbeki. In fact we have taken from the Thabo Mbeki plan the central proposal comprising the President of the Republic, the Parlia- ment, the Government, the Courts and Tribunals, and also the citizens' institutions, while taking into consideration that the insertion of a State Council into this arrangement would have the character of creating contradictions and even con- flicts of competence within and between the classical insti- tutions. Ladies and gentlemen, The framework Agreement which we are now going to submit to all the participants of the national Dialogue envisages the establishment of the following classical institutions: - President of the Republic, Head of State - The bicameral Parliament comprising one House [chambre] and one Senate [Sénat] - The Government with a Prime Minister, Head of Government, with Vice-Premiers as Ministers - The Courts and Tribunals. To these classical institutions are added the citizens' insti- tutions [institutions citoyennes]: - The Independent Election Commission [Commission Electorale Indépendante] - The National Observation Committee for Human Rights [Obser- vatoire National des Droits de l'Homme] - The High Authority for the Media [Haute Autorité des Médias] - The Truth and Reconciliation Commission [Commission Vérité et Réconciliation] - The Ethics and Struggle Against Corruption Commission [Com- mission de l'Ethique et de la lutte contre la corruption]. This agreement envisages that the Parliament is presided over by the RCD/Goma, as to its House, and by the political opposi- tion, as to its Senate. Each of its two houses [chambres] is to have a Bureau consisting of members appointed by the par- ticipating parties and entities present at the national Dia- logue. The Government is to be led by the MLC and to comprise Vice-President Ministers, Ministers and Vice-Ministers. As to the citizens' institutions, they are all to be presided over by members appointed by the Civil Society [des membres issus des forces vives]. We wish to underline that all the parties and entities present at the national Dialogue are to be represented both in the Parliament and in the Government and also in all the citizens' institutions. Ladies and gentlemen, As you will have noted, the Government and the MLC have en- gaged in nothing behind the backs of the other participants. Quite on the contrary, they have decided to save this process, which was headed for an inevitable impasse, by drawing up an all-embracing framework encompassing all the political and so- cial forces present at the national Dialogue, one in which we invite all participants to concur without reservation, in or- der thus to give back hope to all of our people and prove to the world our capacity to rise above our differences in giving first priority to national reconciliation and to the general interest. Today, 17 April 2002, after eight days of negotiations under- taken when it was clear to us that the process of Sun City was heading towards an impasse, the government of the DRC and the MCL have decided to end the war and to reunify immediately the national territory. In those 45 days during which the inter-Congolese political negotiations have proceede, we have noted and deplored those many stumbling-stones which have almost made it necessary to start the process of national reconciliation all over again. The MLC too has drawn all conclusions from this. Because of its willingness to leave the war, the MLC decided to engage in negotiations with the government of the DRC. We think that the Agreement which the two parties have reached is a balanced one. It envisages, for the period of transition, Joseph Kabila's remaining at the head of the state in his ca- pacity as President of the Republic. It recognizes Jean-Pierre Bemba as Transitional Prime Minister and proposes to the Ras- semblement Congolais pour la Démocratie, the RCD, to assume the presidency of the Parliament. To the RCD as well as to all the parties and groups recognized by the inter-Congolese dia- logue it is also proposed that they assume posts of ministe- rial responsibility. The presidency of an institution whose mission it is to arbi- trate in the case of conflicts between the institutions, to work out a plan for the constitution according to which the country is to be ruled after the period of transition and to put forward thoughts on the country's future will be entrusted to the political opposition. This institution will be consti- tuted in such a way that representation of all the provinces is ensured. In addition to ministerial responsibilities, the representa- tives of the Civil Society will preside over the development of all the citizens' institutions of democratic support. Being in its intention all-embracing, this agreement establishes a power structure which is both efficient and balanced. It is inspired directly by president Thabo Mbeki's plan, since, Pri- mo, it embraces all the participating parties. It excludes no- body. Secundo, it remains open to those who, for one reason or another, might be unable to concur in it immediately. Ter- tio, it secures all those Congolese signatory parties of the Lusaka agreement which share the responsibility of the forming and the future of the new Congolese army within the High Coun- cil for the Defence. This structure in inspired by the Mbeki plan. In the following few hours, a framework agreement will be sub- mitted for the assessment by all the participants in the in- ter-Congolese political negotiations. We are inviting all po- ltitical parties, the Civil Society, the Rassemblement Congo- lais pour la Démocratie, the RCD/ML, the RCD/N and the Mai-Mai to support this agreement and to join us in this historic com- promise. A compromis which has become indispensable since af- ter the four years of war whic have caused such suffering, tears and sorrow, the resolutions of Sun City are bringing a breath of democracy, the wind of change and of freedom for all our countrymen. Sun City, 17 April 2002 C. PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ BY THE MAI-MAI MOVEMENT, 18.04.2002 [Translated from the text in French at http://www.congo-mai-mai.net/avr02/com18avr_02.html] *Thursday 18 April, Press Communiqué concerning the Agreement for Reunification of the National Territory* We, the Mai Mai Patriotic Resistance Fighters, support the agreement for reunification of the National Territory signed on 17 April 2002 by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and supported by other participants in the inter- Congolese Dialogue, notably the RCD/ML, the RCD/L, the Civil Society and three-and-a-half fourths of the non-armed politi- cal opposition. We declare again our support of the President of the Democra- tic Republic of Congo, Major-General Joseph Kabila, and of his remaining at his post to lead the transition. Faced with the attitude of Rwanda and of its fillies the RCD/ Goma and the UDPS/Tshisekedi, we invite those last-mentioned to concur in the agreement between the Government of the DRC and other participants. We declare that our struggle will continue until the last aggressor has left. We call on all Congolese patriots who have been misled or taken hostage by Rwanda to join the Mai-Mai in order to achieve the the reunification of the National Territory. To those who will not abide by the conclusions of the Inter- Congolese Dialogue we say that they will be neutralized without preliminaries by the Mai-Mai. Shabunda, 18 April 2002 For the High Command of the Mai-Mai Patriotic Resistance Fighters, General Joseph PADIRI BULENDA David According to order, Constantin Muhondosi Responsible for Foreign Relations Contact: http://www.congo-mai-mai.net/avr02/www.congo-mai-mai.net <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Tel.: 00 243 98301060 PATRIOTES RESISTANTS MAI-MAI (PAREMA) For the defence of the interests of the people, we resist. For the just cause, we shall prevail. [Continued in "NEWS ON CONGO 044"] --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================