Continuing Central Africa peace mission, Security Council visits DR of Congo

The United Nations Security Council, fresh from a rare session in Kenya to speed up efforts to resolve civil wars in Sudan, today visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), another conflict-riven country where the world body is seeking to bring peace and stability.

In a press statement after a meeting with DRC President Joseph Kabila, the leader of the Council's mission, France's UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sablière, noted the importance that elections are held as planned in the vast country, where the UN has a large peace-keeping force.

The mission began Sunday with a visit to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, and a meeting with President Paul Kagame. Mr. de La Sablière said that among the many issues discussed were cooperation in the Great Lakes region and the verification mechanism that was set up between the countries to mitigate cross-border tensions.

They also discussed the situation in the DRC, where ethnic hostilities have spilled across the common border, and the question of disarmament and repatriation of the various forces there.

Tomorrow, the Council travels to neighbouring Burundi where the UN launched a new peacekeeping operation earlier this year.