S/2003/199
Letter dated 19 February 2003 from the
Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the
United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council
On the instructions of my Government, I have the honour to transmit to you the final communiqué, signed at Luanda on 14 February 2003, of the meeting of ministers to draw up the modalities for the establishment of the Ituri Pacification Commission between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda (see annex).
I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.
(Signed) Atoki Ileka
Ambassador
Permanent Representative
Annex to the letter dated 19 February 2003 from the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council
Final communiqué of the meeting of ministers held in Luanda on 14 February 2003 to draw up the modalities for the establishment of the Ituri Pacification Commission
1. At the request of the heads of State of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda following the consultative summit held in Dar es Salaam on 9 and 10 February 2003, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Léonard She Okitundu, and the Minister of Regional Cooperation of Uganda, Kahinda Otafire, met today in Luanda, Angola, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Angola, Joao Miranda, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amos Namanga Ngongi, for the purpose of drawing up the practical modalities for the establishment of the Ituri Pacification Commission.
2. The actual launching of the Ituri Pacification Commission, scheduled according to the timetable adopted by the heads of State in Dar es Salaam for 25 February 2003, will be preceded by the establishment and meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Ituri Pacification Commission, which will take place in Bunia on 17 February 2003.
3. It was agreed, in conformity with article 1, paragraph 3, of the Luanda Agreement, that Uganda will guarantee the security of all participants in the work of the Preparatory Committee and the Ituri Pacification Commission in the town of Bunia.
4. To ensure a successful conclusion and with a view to involving all the forces in the work of the Ituri Pacification Commission, the meeting approved the proposal of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) for the organization in Bunia on 19 February 2003 of a ceremony of signature of an agreement on the cessation of hostilities by all protagonists.
5. The meeting also considered and resolved the issues relating to the composition of the Preparatory Committee, the timetable, and the composition and tasks of the Ituri Pacification Commission, as indicated in the annexes to the present communiqué.
6. Nevertheless, in the interests of ensuring effective representation of the grass-roots communities and social forces, including the military forces, public figures, traditional chiefs, the Business Federation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and civil society in Ituri, the meeting accepted the possibility of revising the number of participants in the Ituri Pacification Commission upwards, following identification by MONUC in consultation with the signatory parties to the Agreement.
7. The signatories of the Luanda Agreement reiterated their firm commitment to take all necessary steps to ensure the success of the work of the Ituri Pacification Commission and to remove any obstacle likely to impede its successful progress.
8. The meeting considers that the political aspirations of the actors in Ituri will be submitted to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue.
9. The respective delegations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, as well as the MONUC delegation, welcomed the cordial spirit of mutual understanding that prevailed at the meeting and thanked the Head of State, the Government and the fraternal people of Angola for the warm welcome extended to them in Luanda, the capital of Angola.
Done at Luanda on 14 February 2003.
For the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Léonard She Okitundu
For Uganda:
Kahinda Otafire
For Angola:
Joao Miranda
For MONUC:
Amos Namanga Ngongi