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DR of Congo: Security Council condemns harassment of UN mission by rebel group

DR of Congo: Security Council condemns harassment of UN mission by rebel group

Amb. Wehbe
Members of the Security Council today condemned recent attacks by a rebel group against the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and demanded an immediate end to the harassment of UN officials and full cooperation with an investigation into recent events in Kisangani.

Council members particularly "condemned the attempts by [Rally for Congolese Democracy] RCD-Goma to undermine the representatives of the United Nations and their constructive role," Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe of Syria, which currently holds the Council's rotating presidency for the month of June, said in a press statement.

Ambassador Wehbe added that experts would soon prepare a presidential statement on these developments, which the Council was expected to adopt tomorrow.

Also today, Ambassador Wehbe previewed the Council's work for the month at a press briefing. He said that Africa, particularly developments in the Great Lakes region, would once again be at the top of the 15-member body's agenda. In addition to the recent events in the DRC, the Council will discuss developments in Angola, the Horn of Africa, and western Africa.

Other work slated for the Council's consideration included extending the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), as well as addressing developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, with the aim of maintaining peace in those parts of the world, he said.

The Council would continue to pay necessary attention to the situation in Afghanistan, Ambassador Wehbe added, and has scheduled briefings before and after the election of the Loya Jirga.

The Council has also planned consultations on the work of the UN Monitoring, Inspection and Verification Commission (UNMOVIC) in Iraq, as well as regular briefings on the situation in the Middle East, which will be held behind closed doors, according to the Ambassador.