Security Council mission to check progress towards peace in Great Lakes region

Members of the United Nations Security Council will visit the Great Lakes region of Africa next month to monitor the progress made towards peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi, a UN spokesperson announced today.

On the DRC crisis, the delegation will assess the parties' implementation of Council resolution 1341, which covers such issues as respect for the ceasefire, disengagement of forces and cooperation with UN peacekeepers.

In relation to Burundi, the mission will encourage the parties to the Arusha agreement to commit themselves to the next steps in the peace process, in agreement with Nelson Mandela, the Facilitator in that process.

The terms of reference for the mission were submitted by the President of the Security Council to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a letter issued today at UN Headquarters in New York. The Council's trip will take place during the second half of May.