UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
Mr. William Lacy Swing's visit to Libreville features high in today's local press. The press also goes back over the long awaited putting-in-place of the Territorial administration.
According to LE PALMARES, Libreville's meeting last Tuesday between the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC and Gabon's president « gave rise to some outcries ». Under the headline Swing-Omar Bongo's axis causes much gnashing of teeth to president Kabila's clan, the paper recalls the substance of the talks between both personalities. « William Swing requested President Bongo to contribute Gabon's police elements to the DRC peace process», notes the paper describing this as « an upsetting initiative ». Gabon's President was put in the bad books due to an article published by the Belgian paper LA DERNIERE HEURE, indicating that « an assassination plan was being prepared by Presidents Bongo and Sassou Nguesso; this threw president Kabila's personal staff into a very nervous state yesterday », highlights the paper recalling that the meeting between Swing and Bongo took place 26 days after a tête-à-tête between Omar Bongo and Jean-Pierre Bemba, one of the DRC's vice-presidents. The paper echoes a statement made by a president Kabila's close assistant: « We do not know what Gabon's police would do in the DRC at this particular time when everybody is expecting the launching of the integrated army. (') The UN of old had used the same strategy through the Peacekeepers to assassinate Patrice-Emery Lumumba ». However, the paper further says, « the MONUC spokesman, Hamadoun Touré, calmed things down and argued that Mr. Swing acted within the framework of the CIVPOL », MONUC Civilian Police that has been contributing to the training of the Congolese police force since 2003. « The body has now some 139 elements contributed by eleven African countries », adds LE PALMARES.
« MONUC does not have enough elements to form the civilian police », asks L'AVENIR. Mr. William Swing's initiative « is not at all founded, say some of the observers», writes the paper. In its editorial entitled An initiative likely to make people shudder, the paper wonders. « In what capacity and for which purpose has Mr. Swing taken such an initiative' ». It also recalls the article LA DERNIERE HEURE and says, « there is no smoke without fire». For the paper, even if a contingent of a central African country needed by MONUC forces worked to facilitate an operation for the destabilisation, no one would see anything since MONUC has never seen a single Rwandan soldiers ' yet they have been seen several times by the populations ' heavily armed, crossing the Congolese border. Considering MONUC's suggestion to have the central African countries participate in the military operations in the DRC, the paper expresses apprehension to see the head of the UN Mission cross the river Congo to make the same request to Congo Brazzaville's authorities «which will make the Congolese from Kinshasa shudder more», concludes L'AVENIR.
LE POTENTIEL and LE PHARE which echo MONUC weekly news conference, reports that William Swing's visit to Libreville is « part of his regular contacts with the regional leaders who have a role to play in the DRC peace process ». It further recalls that Gabon « is a member country of the International Committee for the Support of the Transition (CIAT) and the Club of the DRC Friends».
With regard to the putting-in-place of the Territorial administration, the same paper refers to last manoeuvres. The PPRD led by Joseph Kabila « is entirely free to appoint governors in the provinces confided to its allies; From its quota, the RCD/N will hand Equateur over to MLC and will get in exchange two posts of vice-governors from the MLC led by Jean-Pierre Bemba; the RCD will consolidate its position with North Kivu and Eastern Province and consider it the matter as definitely closed», writes the paper.
For LE PHARE, which entitles Governors: to start from scratch, indicates that the components and entities, as a whole, refused the provinces given them. « People know now that there exists, in our country, good and bad provinces », the paper said ironically adding: « which is not likely to please the populations of these territorial entities ». Pessimistic enough, the paper notes, « it is not certainly tomorrow that the so long awaited nominations for the territorial administration will take place ».
South-Kivu: RCD suspects the Civil Society of intending to appoint an extremist as governor, headlines again the same paper. The paper says that the Civil Society will propose « candidates known as extremists both in their conduct and inflammatory speeches calling for hatred of the Rwandophone tendency or related ». If one of such candidates were propelled to the post of South Kivu Governor, « it would only remain to be watchful and pray the All-mighty God for the worst to be avoided», writes the paper.
FORUM DES AS in turn, denounces the Confusion around the candidates for the post of governors from the Civil Society whose leader, in the person of Bahati Lukwebo, rejected the choice of his component during a voting organised Monday at Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa. « Instead, the leader of the Civil Society/Forces Vives surprised the opinion by announcing that three candidates were put forward for each one of the posts reserved for the Territorial Administration», writes the paper.
L'OBSERVATEUR devotes its Headline to the visit of the Managing Director of the World Bank for Operations, Shengman Zhang to Kinshasa since yesterday; the latter declared that the purpose of his visit to the DRC was to « discuss with the members of the Government how to best organize their work, to see for himself what is going on and envisage how to take up the challenges on an original way». He is to be received Friday 16 April by President Joseph Kabila, announces the paper.
LA REFERENCE PLUS, as far as concerned, announces a shipwreck on Lake Tanganyika that killed dozens of people. It reportedly happened off Kalemie, at the border with Tanzania, adds the paper quoting RADIO OKAPI and MISNA News Agency. « The remains of 25 people were recovered thus far: three ladies and a child, while searches are ongoing along the lake », writes the paper, reporting at least 43 victims.
« MONUC does not have enough elements to form the civilian police », asks L'AVENIR. Mr. William Swing's initiative « is not at all founded, say some of the observers», writes the paper. In its editorial entitled An initiative likely to make people shudder, the paper wonders. « In what capacity and for which purpose has Mr. Swing taken such an initiative' ». It also recalls the article LA DERNIERE HEURE and says, « there is no smoke without fire». For the paper, even if a contingent of a central African country needed by MONUC forces worked to facilitate an operation for the destabilisation, no one would see anything since MONUC has never seen a single Rwandan soldiers ' yet they have been seen several times by the populations ' heavily armed, crossing the Congolese border. Considering MONUC's suggestion to have the central African countries participate in the military operations in the DRC, the paper expresses apprehension to see the head of the UN Mission cross the river Congo to make the same request to Congo Brazzaville's authorities «which will make the Congolese from Kinshasa shudder more», concludes L'AVENIR.
LE POTENTIEL and LE PHARE which echo MONUC weekly news conference, reports that William Swing's visit to Libreville is « part of his regular contacts with the regional leaders who have a role to play in the DRC peace process ». It further recalls that Gabon « is a member country of the International Committee for the Support of the Transition (CIAT) and the Club of the DRC Friends».
With regard to the putting-in-place of the Territorial administration, the same paper refers to last manoeuvres. The PPRD led by Joseph Kabila « is entirely free to appoint governors in the provinces confided to its allies; From its quota, the RCD/N will hand Equateur over to MLC and will get in exchange two posts of vice-governors from the MLC led by Jean-Pierre Bemba; the RCD will consolidate its position with North Kivu and Eastern Province and consider it the matter as definitely closed», writes the paper.
For LE PHARE, which entitles Governors: to start from scratch, indicates that the components and entities, as a whole, refused the provinces given them. « People know now that there exists, in our country, good and bad provinces », the paper said ironically adding: « which is not likely to please the populations of these territorial entities ». Pessimistic enough, the paper notes, « it is not certainly tomorrow that the so long awaited nominations for the territorial administration will take place ».
South-Kivu: RCD suspects the Civil Society of intending to appoint an extremist as governor, headlines again the same paper. The paper says that the Civil Society will propose « candidates known as extremists both in their conduct and inflammatory speeches calling for hatred of the Rwandophone tendency or related ». If one of such candidates were propelled to the post of South Kivu Governor, « it would only remain to be watchful and pray the All-mighty God for the worst to be avoided», writes the paper.
FORUM DES AS in turn, denounces the Confusion around the candidates for the post of governors from the Civil Society whose leader, in the person of Bahati Lukwebo, rejected the choice of his component during a voting organised Monday at Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa. « Instead, the leader of the Civil Society/Forces Vives surprised the opinion by announcing that three candidates were put forward for each one of the posts reserved for the Territorial Administration», writes the paper.
L'OBSERVATEUR devotes its Headline to the visit of the Managing Director of the World Bank for Operations, Shengman Zhang to Kinshasa since yesterday; the latter declared that the purpose of his visit to the DRC was to « discuss with the members of the Government how to best organize their work, to see for himself what is going on and envisage how to take up the challenges on an original way». He is to be received Friday 16 April by President Joseph Kabila, announces the paper.
LA REFERENCE PLUS, as far as concerned, announces a shipwreck on Lake Tanganyika that killed dozens of people. It reportedly happened off Kalemie, at the border with Tanzania, adds the paper quoting RADIO OKAPI and MISNA News Agency. « The remains of 25 people were recovered thus far: three ladies and a child, while searches are ongoing along the lake », writes the paper, reporting at least 43 victims.
