After a dramatic build-up, the UN Group of
Experts report on the Congo was submitted to the Sanctions Committee of the
Security Council yesterday. However, the bit that everyone was waiting for - an
annex that addresses allegations of Rwandan involvement in the eastern Congo -
has been separated from the report and has not yet been submitted.
Diplomats say that the reasons for the block are
in part procedural - the annex was submitted after the bulk of the report, which
has to be edited and translated into all UN languages, as the situation on the
ground was evolving rapidly. But others suggest that the real reason for the
block is that UN member states are worried that these allegations could further
sour relations between Congo and Rwanda, and that they are best dealt with
behind closed doors. High-level meetings took place between the two sides in
Kinshasa yesterday, where Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikwabo led a
delegation to security and political officials to meet with their counterparts.
In the meantime, the Congolese Information Minister Lambert Mende lashed out
against Rwanda in an interview with Reuters, saying that, "I think (the
report) confirms everything
that has been said. I don't think the Rwandans are
at all happy
that it should be officially endorsed by the U.N." He also
suggest
that Rwanda and its allies, including the United States,
were trying toblock
the publication of the report. At the same
time, President Kagame said in a
press conference in Kigali
that the Congolese should stop scapegoating Rwanda, "And
you Congolese, don't run away from your
responsibilities and
start claiming that this is our problem."
Sources close
to the Security Council suggest that the annex
may still be released in the
coming weeks. It should be
emphasized that the contents and conclusions of the
annex are
not yet known.
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