Uganda pullout of Lusaka accords "not necessarily a setback": Annan

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said Uganda's announcement that it had withdrawn from the Lusaka peace accords was "not necessarily a setback" if the authorities respect the spirit of the agreement.

"Under the agreement, [Ugandan troops] are supposed to withdraw from the Congo," the Secretary-General told reporters at UN Headquarters. "If indeed Uganda does withdraw and ends this engagement in the Congo and respects the spirit of the agreement, I think it will be fine."

Mr. Annan, who heard Uganda's statement through the media, said he would need more specific details directly from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

The Lusaka accord was signed in July 1999 by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and three rebel movements. It includes provisions on the normalization of the situation along the DRC's border, the control of illicit trafficking of arms and the infiltration of armed groups; the holding of a national dialogue; the need to address security concerns; and the establishment of a mechanism for disarming militias and armed groups.