Brussels, 18/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 17 May, the European Commission welcomed the adoption by the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on 13 May, of a draft constitution, which “will allow this country to enter institutional modernity”, according to a press release, which goes on to state that “further to a detailed reading of the draft, the European Commission feels that this text provides for the creation of a well-balanced, semi-presidential regime and paves the way for a democratic and stable regime”. The press release also notes that this text “described a clear separation of executive and legal powers” and that “the death penalty is no longer constitutionalised”. The Congolese draft constitution, which will be put to a referendum before the end of the year, fulfils the expectations voiced by the EU, notably on 30 April when the Commissioner for Development, Louis Michel, and the High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, went to Kinshasa for their joint mission, the press release states. According to his spokesperson Cristina Gallach, Javier Solana also praised the “considerable amendments [in this text] on the separation of powers and a better balance between the powers of the President and those of the Prime Minister”, and the “introduction of norms guaranteeing a strong representation of women in the institutions of the Congolese State”. On the removal of all references to the death penalty in the text of the constitution, Mr Solana notes that “this change must be confirmed in the penal code when it is put to the approval of the parliament”.
Last week's attack on MONUC blue helmets in Ituria (east of DRC), which killed one and left several others injured, was condemned by Louis Michel, who said: “it is unacceptable for uncontrolled armed groups committing sheer banditry to continue to hold the peace process of Ituria, and of the DRC in general, hostage with these bloody attacks against the United Nations' peacekeeping forces. These attacks are direct attacks on the international community, which has spared no effort to help bring peace to the whole of the Great Lakes region. No tolerance can be permitted of these armed groups, which refuse to get behind the disarmament and rehabilitation process, and of those who support them by making their operations possible”. In his recent visit to Ituria at the end of April, Mr Michel saw the difficult conditions MONUC troops and the RDC army (FARDC) work it, and reiterated the Commission's full support to the operations carried out by MONUC and FARDC in re-establishing minimum safety conditions in eastern Congo, especially Ituria.