Brussels, 16/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Danish Presidency made the following declaration on 12 September on behalf of the European Union:
"The Presidency on behalf of the European Union welcomes the signing of the Luanda Agreement on the withdrawal of Ugandan forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo and on cooperation and normalisation of relations between the two countries. On behalf of the European Union, the Presidency is very encouraged to note that withdrawal of forces from Gbadolite and Beni reportedly almost has been finalised and that a timetable for withdrawal from Bunia has been agreed upon. The European Union hopes that the Luanda Agreement will contribute to the ongoing peace efforts in the region. The Presidency on behalf of the European Union deplores the ongoing fighting in the Ituri Region having caused a large number of victims among the civilian population, and remains concerned about the prevailing situation of insecurity. The Presidency recalls that as long as its troops are there, Uganda is duty-bound to ensure the protection of the population and to respect the principles of international humanitarian law applicable to this matter. The Presidency on behalf of the European Union encourages all the Congolese parties to use the political momentum created by the bilateral agreements of Pretoria and Luanda to re-engage in the Inter-Congolese dialogue with the view to reaching an all inclusive agreement on the translation. The European Union assures all parties of its continued support to the process of securing peace and security for all countries and people in the region. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries members of the European Economic Area, alight themselves with this declaration."