Excellencies, Heads of States and Government;
Your Excellency Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General;
Your Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission;
Executive Secretaries of SADC and ICGLR;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I thank you Mr.
Secretary General and Madam Chairperson for convening this first
meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and
Cooperation Framework for the DRC and Region we signed on February 24th,
2013. Tanzania welcomes your joint efforts which will go a long way
towards ensuring that the objectives of the Framework are implemented to
the letter and spirit.
I
commend you Secretary General, Ban Ki-moonfor appointing Mrs. Mary
Robinson to be your Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region. This is a
clear testimony of the seriousness that you and the UN attach to
attainment of peace and stability in theDRC and the Great Lakes Region.
I have no doubt in my mind that she will add value to the efforts being
deployed to find durable peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I pray that she will use her long experience and renowned diplomatic
skills to enable the people of the DRC and the Great Lakes
Region realise their long standing dream of a peaceful and stable
country and the region. I assure Madam Robinson my personal commitment
as well as my Government’s readiness to work with her in fulfilling her
mandate.
Excellencies;
We
all know that the Framework we signed in February this year (2013)
provides another importantmilestone in the search for durable peace in
the DRC and her neighbours and the region at large. The launching of
the Regional Oversight Mechanism, the establishment of the Technical
Support Committee and the creation by the UNSC of the Force Intervention
Brigade under MONUSCO are important milestones in these endeavours. I
amconfident, all these measures will go a long way towards bringing
about lasting peace in Eastern DRC. But, the success of these efforts
will depend on the genuine commitment and readiness of the parties to
see peace reign if they have at heart the belief and desire for peaceful
solutions to this long standing conflict which has infected great
misery and suffering to millions of innocent people. Unfortunately, it
is the women, children and innocent civilians who suffer the most.
Excellencies;
It
is evident that the barrel of the gun cannot bethe ultimate answer as
testified by the recurrence of fighting. We must deploy serious efforts
towards bringing the parties to the negotiating table. Only the
negotiating table will deliver on the demands of all the conflicting
parties. I am hoping that thisMechanism will deploy serious efforts
towards initiating comprehensive negotiations. First, let the Regional
Oversight Mechanism be a catalyst for completion of the ongoing peace
talks in Kampalabetween the M23 and the government of the DRC. If
these talks are concluded successfully and implemented to the letter and
spirit, the first visible manifestation of the conflict will have laid
to rest. But, there are other players, the FDLR and the ADF who should
also be engaged and find a peaceful way of making them stop their
negative activities against their countries of origin.
I
am of the view that the enlargement of MONUSCO and the deployment
of Intervention Brigade to play a dissuading role will not end the war.
Ultimately, and comprehensive and lasting peace will be realised at the
negotiating table. Let us give serious attention to peace talks. Let
the Mechanism support the process in Kampala. Time has come to reach
out to FDLR, ADF and other negative forces with the view to ending the
circle of violence.
I also welcome
the establishment of a Technical Support Committee to develop
benchmarks and ensure day – to – day monitoring and reporting on the
implementation of the Framework. The activities of these
processes should be well coordinated to create a synergy and energy that
will push the peace agenda of the region to fruition.
Excellencies;
Once
again, I commend the UN Secretary General and the AU Chairperson
for supporting theregional Oversight Mechanism and the Technical Support
Committee to be established. I sincerely hope that these two
structures will be fully supportedby the region and international
stakeholders. I am confident that through our commitment and support
the pursuit of peace negotiations in the DRC, herneighbours and the
region will attain the much sought and elusive commodity: namely, peace
on its hands. It can be done. Let us play our part.
Thank you for your attention.
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