Brussels, 12/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - During a visit on 10 July to the Potsdam HQ, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the support by EURFOR during the elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the end of a meeting with the Commander of the EU operation, German General Karlheinz Viereck, Mr Annan informed the press that he was “very impressed” by the operation planned and which was expected to represent an excellent complement to the UN's operations in the DRC. Around 670 soldiers out of the total 800 will be deployed in Kinshasa. Around 1200 will also already be in place in Gabon.
A European Parliament sub committee delegation led by its chairman Karl von Wogau (German Christian Democrat) visited the EUFOR HQ on 11 July. A visit to the DRC is planned for end of August, to have a hands-on look at the operation before the most risky period begins, the announcement of the official results of the first round expected on 14 September.