UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review
The analysis of President Joseph Kabila's speech to the Belgian Senate, the UN Security Council Meeting in New York on the DRC peace process and the security situation in North Eastern DRC feature high in today's local press in Kinshasa.
The headlines in L'Avenir paper read: «President Joseph Kabila's speech to the Belgian Senate provokes uproar», alluding to President Kabila's tribute to the pioneers of the colonization in Brussels on Tuesday. The statement is included in President Kabila's speech to the Upper Chamber of the Belgian Parliament: « The history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is also the one of Belgians (Belgium and the DRC share a common past in their history) with missionaries, Government officials and entrepreneurs who believed in King Leopold II's dream to build a Nation in the heart of Africa. At this precise point, we wish to salute the memory of all those pioneers. » The statement, writes L'Avenir, brought President Joseph Kabila nothing but « anathema from some of his compatriots. Yet, it is by virtue of the visible beneficial effects of that time, more particularly the majority of the infrastructure that the country has. »
« Tribute: not to all the Belgian pioneers! » says La Tempête des Tropiques in its editorial. « ... Not all the Belgian pioneers are holy innocents to whom to pay gratitude. The Belgian colonization's throes, the humiliation and the disgrace inflicted on the local population are engraved on the Congolese people's memory, among other things, some pioneers' work. Some of the Belgian missionaries played into the colonial administration's hands by making the Congolese people docile to the point of giving up their self-identity...The Congolese president should not make a clean sweep of all this. »
On the other hand, Le Palmarès notes, a « serious constitutional blunder in president Joseph Kabila's speech to the Belgian Senate. » According to this paper, « Joseph Kabila violated article 89 of the Transitional Constitution. He actually declared in his speech: That is how at the end of lengthy negotiations aimed to attain the above-mentioned objectives, all the parties in conflict, pressured by the population and the International Community agreed to form an atypical government comprised of one President, four Vice-Presidents, 61 ministers and Vice-ministers, 500 MPS and 120 senators. » The paper says: « According to president Kabila's approach, the Congolese Government is comprised of 686 members. This is wrong. Since article 89 of the Transitional Constitution clearly states: « The Government is made up of a President, Vice-Presidents, Ministers and Vice-Ministers. » « Therefore, under the terms of the Constitution, the Government comprises only 66 members. »
Pushing for a solution to the debate, La Référence Plus asks ...« to get straight to the heart of the matter since the Transitional Agenda is now complete. From the organization of the polls and referendum to the establishment of a new political dispensation, there are so many preconditions and guarantees to provide for. » « Let us get to the heart of the matter, let us try hard and surpass ourselves and avoid going around in circles and reviving other fronts», advises the paper, devoting its editorial to ''Olenghankoy's dossier'', President Joseph Kabila's tour to Europe and the insecurity that recently prevailed in the East of the country.
Yesterday's debate in New York revolved around the security situation in the DRC. The headlines in Le Phare paper read: « The UN demands reform of the (Congolese) security situation », referring to an important meeting held on Monday, 9 February 2004, on the smooth running of the DRC peace process, chaired by the Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Congolese Government, Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Holland, South Africa, Sweden, Great Britain, North Ireland, United States, the World Bank and the European Union (EU). « In regard to the substance, the UN task force set the guidelines to be implemented by the Congolese Government as soon as possible. All the guidelines converge on the reform of the operational security services inherited from Kabila (the father)'s dictatorial regime», highlights Le Phare.
During the News Conference Wednesday in Kinshasa, the MONUC spokesman also raised the security situation in the North Eastern DRC. The headlines in La Référence Plus paper read: « Bunia continues counting its dead while calm is gradually returning in Bukavu», alluding to the bodies found in Gobu by MONUC. The group had been dispatched to north east of Bunia after receiving reports alleging to a massacre of a dozen people perpetrated on 15 January 2004. MONUC has initiated investigations to identify those who committed the massacre.
« Tribute: not to all the Belgian pioneers! » says La Tempête des Tropiques in its editorial. « ... Not all the Belgian pioneers are holy innocents to whom to pay gratitude. The Belgian colonization's throes, the humiliation and the disgrace inflicted on the local population are engraved on the Congolese people's memory, among other things, some pioneers' work. Some of the Belgian missionaries played into the colonial administration's hands by making the Congolese people docile to the point of giving up their self-identity...The Congolese president should not make a clean sweep of all this. »
On the other hand, Le Palmarès notes, a « serious constitutional blunder in president Joseph Kabila's speech to the Belgian Senate. » According to this paper, « Joseph Kabila violated article 89 of the Transitional Constitution. He actually declared in his speech: That is how at the end of lengthy negotiations aimed to attain the above-mentioned objectives, all the parties in conflict, pressured by the population and the International Community agreed to form an atypical government comprised of one President, four Vice-Presidents, 61 ministers and Vice-ministers, 500 MPS and 120 senators. » The paper says: « According to president Kabila's approach, the Congolese Government is comprised of 686 members. This is wrong. Since article 89 of the Transitional Constitution clearly states: « The Government is made up of a President, Vice-Presidents, Ministers and Vice-Ministers. » « Therefore, under the terms of the Constitution, the Government comprises only 66 members. »
Pushing for a solution to the debate, La Référence Plus asks ...« to get straight to the heart of the matter since the Transitional Agenda is now complete. From the organization of the polls and referendum to the establishment of a new political dispensation, there are so many preconditions and guarantees to provide for. » « Let us get to the heart of the matter, let us try hard and surpass ourselves and avoid going around in circles and reviving other fronts», advises the paper, devoting its editorial to ''Olenghankoy's dossier'', President Joseph Kabila's tour to Europe and the insecurity that recently prevailed in the East of the country.
Yesterday's debate in New York revolved around the security situation in the DRC. The headlines in Le Phare paper read: « The UN demands reform of the (Congolese) security situation », referring to an important meeting held on Monday, 9 February 2004, on the smooth running of the DRC peace process, chaired by the Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Congolese Government, Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Holland, South Africa, Sweden, Great Britain, North Ireland, United States, the World Bank and the European Union (EU). « In regard to the substance, the UN task force set the guidelines to be implemented by the Congolese Government as soon as possible. All the guidelines converge on the reform of the operational security services inherited from Kabila (the father)'s dictatorial regime», highlights Le Phare.
During the News Conference Wednesday in Kinshasa, the MONUC spokesman also raised the security situation in the North Eastern DRC. The headlines in La Référence Plus paper read: « Bunia continues counting its dead while calm is gradually returning in Bukavu», alluding to the bodies found in Gobu by MONUC. The group had been dispatched to north east of Bunia after receiving reports alleging to a massacre of a dozen people perpetrated on 15 January 2004. MONUC has initiated investigations to identify those who committed the massacre.
