Brussels, 27/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - On 23 May, the Spanish Presidency issued the following statement on behalf of the European Union:
"The European Union denounces the resurgence of violence in the areas occupied by the RCD-Goma, notably in Kisangani, and the repression of the Congolese people by RCD-Goma members and Rwandan troops. The European Union recalls the obligations stemming from the successive Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council on the demilitarisation of Kisangani. The European Union would draw attention to the content of the declaration which it published on 30 April 2002 calling on all parties to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement to respect the end to hostilities and urging them to refrain from any act which might hinder the search for an inclusive solution to the conflict. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries Norway and Liechtenstein, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration."