UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
9 Mar
2009
DRC Press Review
Wednesday's newspapers comments on the election of the new Pope, the UN Security Council's resolution expanding the arms embargo in the DRC, and the disarmament process in the country.
'Habemus Papam,' titles LE PHARE, noting that Apostle Peter's 265th successor, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, 'is a conservative erudite who stands for strict observance of orthodoxy in interpreting sacred writings.'
'His dogmatic judgements delight fellow conservatives in the Vatican, but generate reserve, if not anger, among liberal Catholics and followers of other religions,' the paper adds.
Looking at the national scene, LE POTENTIEL comments on the UN Security Council's resolution extending to the entire Congolese territory the arms embargo so far imposed on eastern provinces. While welcoming the Security Council's decision, the paper believes that 'the resolution will be without effect as long as the Security Council will not take into account the accusations contained in the report of UN experts.' According to the paper, 'the best approach to take is of punishing the arms-supplying countries, namely, Uganda and Rwanda, which were named in the experts' report.'
L'OBSERVATEUR mentions 'the re-enrolment of previously demobilised child soldiers in North Kivu.' Citing the NGO 'SOS Great Lakes', the paper reports that 'since the beginning of this year, some armed groups have been re-enrolling children who were demobilised and reintegrated into their communities.'
In regards to reform of the military, LE POTENTIEL notes 'the slow progress in the troop integration process.' The paper is referring to a report issued by the Technical Sub-Commission on Security after visiting integration centres in the east of the country. 'The Sub-Commission stresses the need for more efforts in order to improve housing and heath conditions' in several of these centres, LE POTENTIEL reports.
In the western part, LE POTENTIEL writes, the 'National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (French acronym: CONADER) proceeded to evacuate demobilised soldiers originating from the provinces of Bas-Congo and Bandundu, and the city of Kinshasa.'
LE POTENTIEL refers to a story in the Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique quoting the Belgian minister of Foreign Affairs after a '45-minute meeting with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.' LE POTENTIEL reports that the two personalities stressed ' the need for better governance in Congo. The problem is not simply one of pure corruption'but it is an integrated system that is needed,' writes the paper. It adds, ' according to Karel de Gucht, Congo should, without waiting until the elections, behave as a functioning State and, for example, eliminate the practice of paying soldiers through the factions.'
According to LE POTENTIEL, the Belgian minister fears that possibly 'nothing would change after the elections.' Karel 'de Gucht says he received Washington's support for a greater implication of the International Committee In Support of the Transition,' the paper says. Concerning the training of the Congolese military, the paper writes, 'Washington has a more imperial ambition: to take charge of the command structure of all the brigades.'
'The much debated achievements of the [political] transition,' L'AVENIR titles. 'Apparently the main achievement of the transition is the reunification of the national territory,' announces the paper, which has interviewed some members of the Parliament. Most of the interviewed MPs 'are opposed to the idea of interrupting the current process,' the paper concludes.
'His dogmatic judgements delight fellow conservatives in the Vatican, but generate reserve, if not anger, among liberal Catholics and followers of other religions,' the paper adds.
Looking at the national scene, LE POTENTIEL comments on the UN Security Council's resolution extending to the entire Congolese territory the arms embargo so far imposed on eastern provinces. While welcoming the Security Council's decision, the paper believes that 'the resolution will be without effect as long as the Security Council will not take into account the accusations contained in the report of UN experts.' According to the paper, 'the best approach to take is of punishing the arms-supplying countries, namely, Uganda and Rwanda, which were named in the experts' report.'
L'OBSERVATEUR mentions 'the re-enrolment of previously demobilised child soldiers in North Kivu.' Citing the NGO 'SOS Great Lakes', the paper reports that 'since the beginning of this year, some armed groups have been re-enrolling children who were demobilised and reintegrated into their communities.'
In regards to reform of the military, LE POTENTIEL notes 'the slow progress in the troop integration process.' The paper is referring to a report issued by the Technical Sub-Commission on Security after visiting integration centres in the east of the country. 'The Sub-Commission stresses the need for more efforts in order to improve housing and heath conditions' in several of these centres, LE POTENTIEL reports.
In the western part, LE POTENTIEL writes, the 'National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (French acronym: CONADER) proceeded to evacuate demobilised soldiers originating from the provinces of Bas-Congo and Bandundu, and the city of Kinshasa.'
LE POTENTIEL refers to a story in the Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique quoting the Belgian minister of Foreign Affairs after a '45-minute meeting with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.' LE POTENTIEL reports that the two personalities stressed ' the need for better governance in Congo. The problem is not simply one of pure corruption'but it is an integrated system that is needed,' writes the paper. It adds, ' according to Karel de Gucht, Congo should, without waiting until the elections, behave as a functioning State and, for example, eliminate the practice of paying soldiers through the factions.'
According to LE POTENTIEL, the Belgian minister fears that possibly 'nothing would change after the elections.' Karel 'de Gucht says he received Washington's support for a greater implication of the International Committee In Support of the Transition,' the paper says. Concerning the training of the Congolese military, the paper writes, 'Washington has a more imperial ambition: to take charge of the command structure of all the brigades.'
'The much debated achievements of the [political] transition,' L'AVENIR titles. 'Apparently the main achievement of the transition is the reunification of the national territory,' announces the paper, which has interviewed some members of the Parliament. Most of the interviewed MPs 'are opposed to the idea of interrupting the current process,' the paper concludes.
