Preparations for Inter-Congolese Dialogue set to begin in July, Security Council mission says

The first preparatory session of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue will take place on 16 July, the head of the Security Council mission to the Great Lakes region told journalists this morning in Lusaka, Zambia.

Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France also said that Sir Ketumile Masire, Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, would be sending his representatives throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the month of June as part of the process of selecting representatives to the Dialogue.

Ambassador Levitte's comments followed an hour-long meeting this morning between the 12 members of the Security Council delegation and Mr. Masire. The group then met with Zambian President Frederick Chiluba.

In the afternoon, the Council delegation was scheduled to meet with members of the Political Committee overseeing the Lusaka Agreement. According to Ambassador Levitte, the Council and the Political Committee are to examine the next steps in the process "as partners," covering the major facets of the Congolese peace process - the disengagement of forces, the disarmament and demobilization of so-called "negative forces" and the withdrawal of all foreign armies from the DRC.