DR of Congo: Security Council reiterates importance of 'full withdrawal' from Moliro

Members of the Security Council today reiterated the importance of a "full withdrawal" by all troops from the strategic southeastern town of Moliro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following reports that government soldiers were spotted in the area.

Current Council President Ambassador Sergey V. Lavrov of the Russian Federation said in a press statement that the 15-member body stressed the importance that all sides "strictly abide" by resolution 1399, which called on all parties to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement to refrain from any military action or provocation, especially while the Inter-Congolese Dialogue was taking place in Sun City, South Africa.

Ambassador Lavrov's statement today followed a closed-door meeting of the Council, which heard a briefing on the situation in Moliro by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hédi Annabi. According to the Council President, Mr. Annabi reported that the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC), which had visited the town daily for the past few days, said there had been a few government soldiers in the area but they have since withdrawn and were no longer there as of yesterday.