DR of Congo: Security Council hails peace agreement

The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the signing of a comprehensive, inclusive agreement on the political transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a press statement, Council President Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia said the accord should lead to elections in the DRC "when the transition period ends two years from now." This, he added, "will make it possible to begin the country's reconstruction and recovery on the basis of consensus."

Council members called upon all parties to ratify the agreement within the framework of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and to work in "a spirit of full cooperation and for the general interest of the Congolese nation," the President said.

Yesterday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the signing in Pretoria of the all-inclusive power-sharing arrangement for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and voiced hope that the accord will soon be formally adopted.