UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review
Abdoulaye Yerodia, the Vice President for Reconstruction and Development, chaired a cabinet meeting yesterday in the absence of president Joseph Kabila. Today's local papers broadly comment on the atmosphere surrounding the meeting and report on the outcome of the cabinet meeting.
The headlines of the paper Le Potentiel read: A cabinet meeting without the Transport Minister Olenghankoy, adding that the Minister of Transport just read a declaration yesterday before leaving the meeting hall. The paper recalls that the MLC (Jean-Pierre Bemba's party) reiterated on Monday, 2 February, its position on Olenghankoy's dossier, arguing that MLC ministers would boycott any cabinet meeting attended by the Minister. This is meant to protest the insulting statement against Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, attributed to Minister Olenghankoy, explains the paper. The paper feels that the net is tightening around the Minister, ''in so far as he is not allowed to attend cabinet meetings for fear of considerably disrupting the serenity of the meeting''.
Le Palmarès reports that Olenghankoy and MLC ministers were at each other's throats before yesterday's meeting. ''But avoiding a road block to the meeting, the Minister of Tranport left the hall'', indicates the paper, noting that before leaving, he read a declaration in which he loudly proclaimed his innocence and pledged that he would not participate in cabinet meetings until the Head of State's return.
Joseph Olenghankoy outmaneuvers Jean-Pierre Bemba, reveals L'Avenir indicating that having opted to act ''patriotically'' by withdrawing from the meeting, Joseph Olenghankoy is said to have outmaneuvered the MLC whose objective was to ''make Joseph Kabila's trip to Europe a failure''.
It is in this context that La Tempête des Tropiques announces the holding of a meeting of all the heads of delegations from the Political Opposition to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue to be chaired by Vice President Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma, to ''reach a common position vis-à-vis the MLC's members within the Transitional Government who have decided to suspend their participation in cabinet meetings whenever the Minister of Transport will be allowed to attend''.
Forum des As foresees Political Opposition's reshuffle, heralding the possible entry of the UDPS (Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social) led by Etienne Tshisekedi. According to the paper, '' the expected Political Opposition's reshuffle will serve as an opportunity for this big party signatory to the all-inclusive agreement to find its place within the Transitional Government''. The paper further indicates, ''the UDPS would then kill two birds with one stone by appointing its members as delegates both to the National Assembly and the Senate''.
Moreover, the cabinet meeting decided to dispatch a delegation to Bukavu to assess the security situation there, reports L'Observateur, recalling that Bukavu was under heavy fire in recent days between the supporters of the Bukavu governor and the military region commander's. ''In view of the seriousness of the situation, the cabinet meeting dispatched a delegation, after debate and deliberation, ...to assess the situation on the ground so as to enable the Government to take appropriate action'', indicates the paper, quoting a report of the meeting.
In this regard, L'Avenir reports that the Bukavu clashes between the troops of the 10th military region and governor Xavier Chiribanya's militia claimed one dead (military) and one minorly injured civilian. According to the paper, the Bukavu governor is not willing to recognize the authority of the 10th military region commander.
A team of MONUC investigators came under fire on Lake Albert, indicates Le Palmarès, explaining that MONUC investigators came under fire while traveling to the scene to verify the allegations on the massacre perpetrated last 15 January in Gobu, Ituri district. The shots were fired from Djo village, a zone controlled by a UPC faction, highlights the paper.
Le Palmarès reports that Olenghankoy and MLC ministers were at each other's throats before yesterday's meeting. ''But avoiding a road block to the meeting, the Minister of Tranport left the hall'', indicates the paper, noting that before leaving, he read a declaration in which he loudly proclaimed his innocence and pledged that he would not participate in cabinet meetings until the Head of State's return.
Joseph Olenghankoy outmaneuvers Jean-Pierre Bemba, reveals L'Avenir indicating that having opted to act ''patriotically'' by withdrawing from the meeting, Joseph Olenghankoy is said to have outmaneuvered the MLC whose objective was to ''make Joseph Kabila's trip to Europe a failure''.
It is in this context that La Tempête des Tropiques announces the holding of a meeting of all the heads of delegations from the Political Opposition to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue to be chaired by Vice President Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma, to ''reach a common position vis-à-vis the MLC's members within the Transitional Government who have decided to suspend their participation in cabinet meetings whenever the Minister of Transport will be allowed to attend''.
Forum des As foresees Political Opposition's reshuffle, heralding the possible entry of the UDPS (Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social) led by Etienne Tshisekedi. According to the paper, '' the expected Political Opposition's reshuffle will serve as an opportunity for this big party signatory to the all-inclusive agreement to find its place within the Transitional Government''. The paper further indicates, ''the UDPS would then kill two birds with one stone by appointing its members as delegates both to the National Assembly and the Senate''.
Moreover, the cabinet meeting decided to dispatch a delegation to Bukavu to assess the security situation there, reports L'Observateur, recalling that Bukavu was under heavy fire in recent days between the supporters of the Bukavu governor and the military region commander's. ''In view of the seriousness of the situation, the cabinet meeting dispatched a delegation, after debate and deliberation, ...to assess the situation on the ground so as to enable the Government to take appropriate action'', indicates the paper, quoting a report of the meeting.
In this regard, L'Avenir reports that the Bukavu clashes between the troops of the 10th military region and governor Xavier Chiribanya's militia claimed one dead (military) and one minorly injured civilian. According to the paper, the Bukavu governor is not willing to recognize the authority of the 10th military region commander.
A team of MONUC investigators came under fire on Lake Albert, indicates Le Palmarès, explaining that MONUC investigators came under fire while traveling to the scene to verify the allegations on the massacre perpetrated last 15 January in Gobu, Ituri district. The shots were fired from Djo village, a zone controlled by a UPC faction, highlights the paper.
