Today's local press comment upon the news conference held by Ambassador Jean Marc de La Sablière yesterday, after the UN Security Council's two-day visit to Kinshasa.

Echoing the meeting between the head of the UN delegation and the press, L'Observateur reports, "the DRC elections will definitely take place on 30 July 2006 insofar as all the people met by the UN Security Council pledged to make the transition and elections successful."

Le Potentiel, for its part, says, "The stage is now set for the elections to take place under the calendar issued by the Independent Electoral Commission." The paper further says, "Having declared themselves persuaded that the general elections will take place on 30 July 2006, the UN Security Council has ignored the call for political consultations before the elections; Congolese people must transcend their differences and look in the same direction."

Referring to Jean Marc de La Sablière's statements, La Référence Plus says those who excluded themselves from the electoral process "freely made their choice," and it is not up to the UN Security Council to determine whether their "political choice was right or wrong."

"Elections were opened to everybody," recalls L'Avenir. "Those who excluded themselves must accept the verdict of the polls," says the paper.

"The president and his Vice-presidents are divided over the need for holding political talks now. "Jean Pierre Bemba says political talks would iron out the difficulties facing the transition at the approach of the elections; Azarias Ruberwa says: "Political talks will give our country the chance of holding safe elections...," explains L'Avenir, further indicating that "Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma is for unconditional elections."

Le Phare quotes Ambassador Jean Marc de La Sablière as declaring, "it is the responsibility of the Congolese people to decide if there is any need for political consultations before the electoral campaign."

"Over 2000 UDPS members marched in Kinshasa on Monday to demand political consultations before the elections," says La Référence Plus.

"The march which was calm at the beginning soon deteriorated ... with gun shooting and tear gas fired by the police to disperse the crowds determined to march up to Grand Hotel," where the UN Security Council delegation were accommodated," reports Le Potentiel, adding, in Mbuyi-Mayi, Eastern Kasaï, "the police used all its artillery to disperse the demonstrators."