Annan appoints former Senegalese leader to help with DR of Congo peace process

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former Senegalese Prime Minister Mustapha Niasse as his Special Envoy to assist in the peace process for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a letter to the President of the Security Council released yesterday at UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General said he would appoint Mr. Niasse, who had already served one stint in 1999 as the UN Envoy for the DRC, to help the parties negotiate an all-inclusive power sharing agreement.

Mr. Niasse will work closely in consultation with the Organization of African Unity and the Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, Sir Ketumile Masire, according to the letter.

Meanwhile in the DRC today, the deputy head of the UN Organization Mission, known as MONUC, was in Goma for talks with officials from the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD-G).

Lena Sundh and RCD-G officials met for over two hours, with the meeting taking place in a "positive atmosphere," a UN spokesman said, adding that the RCD-G leadership said they guaranteed the safety of UN personnel.