Secretary-General’s Joint Press Conference
with his Special Envoy to the Eastern DRC Olusegun Obasanjo and Special Representative for the DRC Alan Doss, following the African Union regional summit on the DRC

Nairobi, Kenya
7 November 2008

SG: Thank you very much for your patience. I am here with Special Envoy President Obasanjo and my Special Representative Mr. Alan Doss. I don’t have much to say as opening remarks, because most of you have been following the proceedings of this meeting.

I have been very much impressed and encouraged by what we have discussed today. In fact I came with a very heavy heart and I am able to return with some encouragement by such a strong will and commitment demonstrated by the leaders of this African region. They have shown a sense of ownership and responsibility and they came out forcefully to take charge of this situation. The United Nations will continue to support, together with our international partners, the European Union, the Americans and many humanitarian agencies.

I came here with three priorities: First and foremost, this ceasefire must be kept and there should be no outbreak of fighting again. And second, we will try to mobilize all necessary UN humanitarian agencies as well as all international partners, the European Union and Americans, to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to needy people. We have 25,000 displaced people because of this recent fighting and we have more than one million people [displaced] already. Therefore international support will be crucially important. Third, while we believe that this military solution is not an option, we must maintain and sustain a peace process. This sustainable peace and stability will be crucially important through the facilitation role of Special Envoy and facilitators President Obasanjo and [Former Tanzanian] President [Benjamin] Mkapa. They will closely coordinate with the regional leaders. Those are the three priorities and I think that today we have discussed them in-depth and very frankly.

I encouraged President Kabila and President Kagame that they should continue their dialogue. Having bilateral meetings with Presidents Kabila and Kagame, I emphasized the importance of political responsibility to ensure peace and stability in the region. They committed to me that they will continue to talk through their senior officials, particularly ministerial meetings and they will continue to discuss at their level. I sincerely hope that we will see peace and stability. In fact, President Obasanjo told me a very historical experience. In 1960, he participated as a lieutenant to participate in this peacekeeping operation. One of my distinguished predecessors, Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, was killed while carrying out his mission to resolve peace in Congo. This is a sobering and humbling historical experience. Now after 50 years, President Obasanjo is going to work as Special Envoy and facilitator and I am still not able to see, after 50 years, as a Secretary-General, so I have emphasized and appealed and urged the leaders of Africa that they must feel a sense of political and personal responsibility to bring peace in this region. I thank you very much.

Q: There are reports that Angolan troops are fighting alongside the Congolese in the eastern part of the country. What information do you have about this and do you have any comments?

SG: I have no information about the Angolan troops participating in this at this point. Do you have a comment, Alan Doss?

Alan Doss: No, Secretary-General, I have seen these reports myself and I have certainly asked my colleagues in the field to let me know what they have heard about these allegations but I have no direct independent confirmation of that report.

Q: (inaudible) that there would be some kind of call for an immediate ceasefire because of this summit, could you please elaborate on that?

SG: Again I am very much troubled by the continuing fighting still in eastern DRC while the leaders have gathered here, while we are now talking about sustainable peace and stability and humanitarian consequences. Unfortunately we have seen the eruption of this fighting. I strongly urge all the militias to stop the fighting and resolve all these issues through dialogue. They must have seen the resolute and determined will of African leaders and the international community, who really want to see peace and stability. They must think about the future of their own country and people in the region.

Q: You are threatening the rebel groups with military action. [inaudible] How effective a threat do you deem that to be, and what, if any, does that mean for the future mandate of MONUC?

SG: This should not be seen as a threat. This should be seen as a demonstrated political will and determined will of the leaders of this region. After having felt such frustrations, we have had many meetings, we have adopted many communiqués and statements and declarations and based on the will and wishes of the whole international community, not necessarily only the African people, this is the wish of the whole international community to see peace and stability in this region, which has [not] been there for 50 years. Far too long, we have suffered, so many people have suffered. During the last one decade, in Congo only, five million people have died either from war, hunger, disease and displacement. Therefore, they must think about their own future. Now MONUC has a mandate to keep peace there. They knew that MONUC’s mandate has limitations. In fact MONUC has over-stretched. We are now talking about 17,000 people in a land that is almost the size of the whole European continent. In this vast country, we have serious limitations in our resources, in our capacities. Considering this, African leaders have expressed their strong commitment that after such frustrations and appeals, and urged if they are not able to resolve this issue, they expressed their firm determination that they will be ready when and if necessary to resolve this issue once and for all, even through their own peacemaking forces. This is not a threat for the purpose of threat. This time, all these militias must hear such a strong message.

Q: For Mr. Obasanjo, when do you plan to meet with Laurent Nkunda?

Special Envoy Obasanjo: I expect that within the next few hours Laurent Nkunda must have in his hand a copy of the communiqué that has been issued here today and I am expecting that he will communicate to me his reaction and that will determine the next step.

Thank you very much.