SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ACCORD ON POWER-SHARING
IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
On 17 December, in Pretoria, the Congolese parties signed an accord on an all-inclusive power-sharing arrangement for the transition government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following intensive negotiations mediated jointly by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, Moustapha Niasse, and the Government of South Africa.
The Secretary-General welcomes this long-awaited progress in the Congolese peace process as a significant step towards lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region as a whole.� He praised the Congolese parties for their courageous decision to find a peaceful solution to end the suffering of the Congolese people and embark upon a path to reconciliation, reconstruction and development.� He also commends his Special Envoy and the Government of South Africa for their untiring efforts to help the Congolese parties reach this accord.
The Secretary-General hopes that this accord will be endorsed without delay at a plenary session of the inter-Congolese dialogue, to be convened by the Facilitator, Sir Ketumile Masire.
The Secretary-General pledges that the United Nations will continue to support the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which promises to enter a transition period, that would, in turn, lead to free, transparent and democratic elections.
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