Brussels, 20/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Monday in Brussels, the General Affairs Council adopted conclusions on Africa covering:
The Great Lakes region: The Council raised the mission by the Troika to the region (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.9). The Troika should examine in the visited capitals the progress achieved and try to draw momentum from the dynamic of an end to crisis. This visit will also permit it to sound out the States of the region over the possibility of establishing a Great Lakes conference under the auspices of the United Nations and the European Union. The Council will examine at a future date the up-dating of the common positions on the Lusaka and Arusha processes, in the light of the lessons drawn by this Troika..
The Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Council confirmed its support for the Lusaka process and the content of the Congolese dialogue. It insists on the retreat of the foreign armed forces still present on the ground in the DRC. The demilitarisation of Kisangani and the improvement of the free movement of persons and goods within the DRC also constitute priorities underlined by the Council, which recalls the importance of disarmament, demobilisation and the reintegration of fighters and encourages co-ordination between the MONUC, the World Bank and the United Nations agencies concerned. It favourably welcomes the holding, in Brussels on 21 December, of a meeting for the gathering of funds aimed at financing these actions. Belgium and France would also like to mention the up-coming signing of the national indicative programme for the DRC, but Commissioner Poul Nielson and several delegations (United Kingdom, Netherlands, among others) where not favourable.
Burundi: The Council, which continues on the basis of the recent EU statement (see EUROPE of 14 November, p.5), welcomes the establishment of the transition government. Strong from the conviction that the peace process may and must end, the Council adopted a joint action and mobilised a total of EUR 9.5 million in support of the deployment of a special protection unit, formed on a provisions basis by a South African battalion. It also calls upon the international community to contribute towards the financing of this entity. The Council also welcomes the Commission's intention to continue its support action towards other vital parts of the peace process and welcomes the Commission's signing of the national indicative programme (see EUROPE of 17 November, p.8). It will ensure an active participation by the Union in the next follow-up meeting of the Paris Conference on Burundi.
Rwanda-Uganda: The Council welcomes the agreement reached through good relations nurtured by the United Kingdom between Presidents Museveni and Kagami, who aim to reduce the sources of tension between the two countries. Moreover, it up-dated its common position of September 2000 on Rwanda.
Eritrea: The Council noted its strong concern in the face of persistent violations of opposition rights, attacks on the freedom of the press and the absence of information relating to detained persons. He regrets that the problem of the expulsion of the Italian Ambassador in Asmara, the EU Representative, has found no solution to this day. It regrets that the EU mission heads have not as yet been received by the Eritrean Head of States, Isaias Afworki. Having noted that such a dialogue must take place as quickly as possible, in conformity with the principals of the partnership under the Cotonou Agreement and that it should notably tackle the EU's serious concerns mentioned above and respect for the timetable permitting for the organisation of free and fair elections. The Council entrusted its competent bodies with examining the concrete implications that the continuation of the present situation in Eritrea could have in terms of aid.
Commenting on this part of the General Affairs Council, the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Louis Michel, added that the EU Troika (which, in the meantime, with Commissioner Patten, left Brussels on Tuesday morning for Kinshasa) will also go to Gbadolite and Goma to meet the rebel leaders and could also go to Kamina where the Interamwe camp is situated. Despite the failure of Adis (reference to the recent conference of the Lusaka process, which took place in Adis Ababa: Ed.), we must not lay all the failure upon the DRC, I said, he indicated, while thus underlining that this had not been the case with all the members of the Council. Noting that the signing of the national indicative programme for the DRC had been postponed, Mr Michel felt that this decision should be reviewed after the Troika's visit. Finally, he underlined that the situation in the Great Lakes region will not be the only subject broached in Zimbabwe where we will also discuss Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement concerning the talks that the Council decided to initiate last 29 October in view of suspending the partnership agreement with this country.