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Zambian President Frederick Chiluba spoke to Africa Recovery during the Security Council meeting
What is your assessment of this week-long Security Council
debate on the DRC?
First of all I must tell you that we are here because of Ambassador
Holbrooke. He had in mind to call us to come and look each other
in the face and renew our contacts, hostile or friendly. And he
has succeeded.
We are not really discussing the Lusaka agreement. We are seeking support so that it can be implemented. Any kind of procrastination might set the clock back and violations become the order of the day and the whole agreement might be thrown overboard.
The US and other permanent members of the Security Council
have said that it is too risky to deploy peacekeeping forces.
The US has a point in a way. They have experiences where forces
sent under the auspices of the UN have been sitting ducks. But
I think that the case of the Congo is a totally different matter.
The structure of the agreement is such that the UN won't just
be dropped into the Congo on unfamiliar ground. We have the Joint
Military Commission (JMC) to work with. We have the Joint Political
Committee to work with.
Of course they will face a few problems. They are going there because they have to establish peace. To wait is to make the whole of this work irrelevant. We appreciate the concerns of the US. They are genuine. But we are saying that the same way they handled Kosovo by NATO, the same way they handled East Timor by the UN must be the same way they handle the DRC.
Mr. Annan has proposed a deployment of some 5,500 UN
peacekeepers.
I think it is really a very wonderful development for us. The
sooner it is really put in place the better. For those violating
the agreement on the ground will know that the game is up. They
can no longer continue at will to do what is against the signed
agreement. Our appearance here is not in vain. We raised the status
of the case of the Congo to a very high level. We hope that it
cannot be forgotten or shelved aside.
Is that deployment adequate?
For the observer teams, you don't need so many. But the size of
the Congo means that a force of 5,500 would be very insignificant.
I'm sure that as they observe the operations on the ground, they
will be reminded of the fact that the numbers are not sufficient
and require immediate beefing up. I think the numbers will move
as the process is started.
What are the priorities right now?
We need financial resources on three levels: to make the JMC more
effective and operational, to assist the office of the facilitator,
so that the internal dialogue starts, and for the entire peacekeeping
operation.
I have a feeling the internal dialogue might be the ultimate goal. Why did the war start, apart from the external dimension? The internal one was that they were asking to broaden the political space. They were saying, "We must begin to democratize the Congo." That can only come about through the office of the facilitator. Sitting them down, having a discussion. If it fails and falls apart, we've had it.
What are the greatest obstacles to peace?
We will be our own obstacles if our minds don't clear up. And
that's why I am so optimistic. I believe sincerely that this thing
will be resolved because all the actors in this war want to end
it. None of them believes today that they can settle this thing
militarily. All of us want to start the process of peace.
And besides, the people in the Congo have suffered long enough. They want peace. I know how they welcomed me when I went on one of my trips. There were millions of people lining the streets, looking for me and getting the message straight. "We want peace. We want peace."
And now is the time.
