| Date | 29 October 2008 |
|---|---|
| Started | 20:15 |
| Ended | 20:20 |
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The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo
| President: |  | Mr. Zhang Yesui China |
(The Presidency changes each month to the next member in alphabetical order) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members: |  | Mr. Belle Belgium |
 | Mr. Tiendrébéogo Burkina Faso |
 | Mr. Urbina Costa Rica |
 | Mr. Vilovi Croatia |
 | Mr. Lacroix France |
 | Mr. Natalegawa Indonesia |
|
 | Mr. Mantovani Italy |
 | Mr. Dabbashi Libya |
 | Mr. Suescum Panama |
|
 | Mr. Shcherbak Russia |
 | Mr. Kumalo South Africa |
 | Sir John Sawers United Kingdom |
|
 | Ms. DiCarlo United States |
 | Mr. Le Luong Minh Viet Nam |
|||
Adoption of the agenda
The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The President
I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration of the item, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.
There being no objection, it is so decided.
The President
The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.
Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council.
The President
"The Security Council condemns the recent CNDP offensive in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and demands that it bring its operations to an end. The Council welcomes the announcement by Laurent Nkunda of an immediate ceasefire and looks to Laurent Nkunda to ensure its effective and durable implementation, and the CNDP's re-engagement in the Goma process. The Security Council expresses its grave concern about the dramatic humanitarian consequences of the recent fighting. The Council urges all parties to respect fully their obligations under international law to protect civilians, to ensure access to the population in need and to guarantee the safety and security of humanitarian personnel. The Council affirms that any attack against the civilian population, including at major population centres, is totally unacceptable.
"The Security Council urges all the signatories to the Goma and Nairobi processes to implement their commitments effectively and in good faith. In this respect, the Security Council calls on the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to take concrete steps to defuse tensions and to restore stability in the region. The Council strongly supports the efforts of the Secretary-General to facilitate the dialogue between the leaders of the two countries and encourages him to send a special envoy tasked with this mission as soon as possible.
"The Security Council urges the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to take effective steps to ensure that there is no cooperation between elements of the FARDC and the FDLR. The Council also calls upon the Governments of the region to cease all support to the armed groups in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Security Council expresses its concern at the reports of heavy weapons fire across the Democratic Republic of the Congo-Rwanda border. The Security Council reiterates its determination to continue to monitor closely the implementation of the arms embargo and other measures as set out in its resolution 1807 (2008).
"The Security Council expresses its full support for MONUC and condemns all attacks, regardless of their perpetrators, launched against MONUC in the past days. The Council calls on MONUC to continue to implement fully its mandate, in all its aspects, in particular by robust actions to protect civilians at risk and to deter any attempt to threaten the political process by any armed group.
"The Security Council duly notes the reinforcement of MONUC requested by the Secretariat of the United Nations. The Security Council will study expeditiously that request in view of the developments of the situation on the ground."
The President
This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2008/40.
The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.
