Brussels, 25/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - On 22 February, the Spanish Presidency adopted the following declaration on behalf of the EU:
"The EU is extremely concerned that some parties to the Inter-Congolese dialogue have threatened not to attend the talks in Sun City. This introduces grave risk on the eve of the Inter-Congolese dialogue. It undermines the parties' commitments to establishing a new political framework in the DRC and to long-term peace and democratisation. The parties have an obligation to work on behalf of all Congolese to live in a peaceful, stable and democratic society. Therefore, the EU calls on all parties to the dialogue to honour these obligations. As such, their responsibility must be to attend the Sun City meeting and address their differences in a manner that reflects these responsibilities. Failure of the talks in Addis Abeba to make progress places increased pressure on all parties to enter into the dialogue with a spirit of accommodation, compromise and professionalism. The EU, and the wider international community, has great expectations for the dialogue in Sun City.
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the EU, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the EEA align themselves with this declaration".