UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's local papers also devote their comments to RCD's 'Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) withdrawal from the Transitional institutions and RCD's comeback to Kinshasa.
The RCD National leader, Azarias Ruberwa, reportedly announced Wednesday in Goma that he was willing to return to Kinshasa, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says. However, he allegedly set a major pre-condition for his return: ''acceptance by the Transition's government to renegotiate the peace process''. In this regard, an RCD team based in Goma dispatched to ''Kinshasa to voice this claim is expected in Kinshasa this morning'', the paper says, indicating that the RCD delegation is coming to Kinshasa to submit their claims to the mediation and other components and entities for appreciation. The paper quotes Mr. Azarias Ruberwa as declaring that it is ''a memorandum on the Transition's calendar and objectives''.
LE PHARE, in turn, says that the RCD delegation will also prepare the arrival of the RCD leader who is the Vice-President for Political, Defence and Security Commission, Mr. Azarias Ruberwa in the next few days. The paper further says that ''another group of RCD MPs is due to arrive in Kinshasa this Friday, in anticipation of the South African president Thabo Mbeki's visit'' to DRC.
LE POTENTIEL confirms Mr. Ruberwa's return to Kinshasa and says that ''this change of attitude'' is due to the various pressures made by the international community against his decision to suspend RCD's participation in the Transition's institutions as well as ''the political realism shown by the majority of RCD members who opted for the continuity of the Transition''.
Referring to the South African President, Thabo Mbeki's visit to Kinshasa on 30 August, L'AVENIR indicates that ''RCD hard-liners'' would take advantage of the South African President's visit to ''to bring one of the main architects of the All-inclusive Agreement'', to secure ''the renegotiation of the agreement''. The paper therefore invites the South African President to ''avoid falling into the trap of the Ruberwa's gang''. This may lead him to ''destroy, in a blink of an eye, the so precious work which he accomplished previously''.
Beyond the inflammatory rhetoric, LE PHARE feels that Transition's assessment is inevitable. For this paper, Congolese should not behave like irresponsible people by acting as if everything was going smoothly. The paper considers that Mr. Ruberwa and RCD comeback to the institutions ''does not automatically imply the success of the transition process'', highlighting that the transition's assessment remains a necessity for ''whether Gatumba or not, Ruberwa or not'', one must seek to know ''how much has been achieved thus far in term of the Transition's objectives rather than sitting back and dreaming or thinking that we would be able to make it during the remaining time''.
With regard to ''Ruberwa's Affair'', the Head of State, Joseph Kabila, ''has broken the silence'', in an interview with the presidential press, FORUM DES AS reports. The paper notes in substance that for the Head of State, ''the most important is that the Transition's institutions should continue functioning''.
The Head of State also confirmed the holding of the elections in the allotted time, says L'OBSERVATEUR. ''The government and other institutions are working in the perspective of the elections''. The Head of State is said to be happy that the members of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) will be sworn in Friday on 27 August.
LE PHARE further announces that the preliminary report issued by the Board of enquiry into the Gatumba massacre will first be submitted to the UN Secretary-General. It cited a declaration by Ms. Patricia, the Head of MONUC Public Information during yesterday's press conference.
Referring to Gatumba, LE POTENTIEL reports that the refugee camp was relocated 50 km away from the Congo Border with Burundi, under the agreement between the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Burundian Government.
LE PHARE, in turn, says that the RCD delegation will also prepare the arrival of the RCD leader who is the Vice-President for Political, Defence and Security Commission, Mr. Azarias Ruberwa in the next few days. The paper further says that ''another group of RCD MPs is due to arrive in Kinshasa this Friday, in anticipation of the South African president Thabo Mbeki's visit'' to DRC.
LE POTENTIEL confirms Mr. Ruberwa's return to Kinshasa and says that ''this change of attitude'' is due to the various pressures made by the international community against his decision to suspend RCD's participation in the Transition's institutions as well as ''the political realism shown by the majority of RCD members who opted for the continuity of the Transition''.
Referring to the South African President, Thabo Mbeki's visit to Kinshasa on 30 August, L'AVENIR indicates that ''RCD hard-liners'' would take advantage of the South African President's visit to ''to bring one of the main architects of the All-inclusive Agreement'', to secure ''the renegotiation of the agreement''. The paper therefore invites the South African President to ''avoid falling into the trap of the Ruberwa's gang''. This may lead him to ''destroy, in a blink of an eye, the so precious work which he accomplished previously''.
Beyond the inflammatory rhetoric, LE PHARE feels that Transition's assessment is inevitable. For this paper, Congolese should not behave like irresponsible people by acting as if everything was going smoothly. The paper considers that Mr. Ruberwa and RCD comeback to the institutions ''does not automatically imply the success of the transition process'', highlighting that the transition's assessment remains a necessity for ''whether Gatumba or not, Ruberwa or not'', one must seek to know ''how much has been achieved thus far in term of the Transition's objectives rather than sitting back and dreaming or thinking that we would be able to make it during the remaining time''.
With regard to ''Ruberwa's Affair'', the Head of State, Joseph Kabila, ''has broken the silence'', in an interview with the presidential press, FORUM DES AS reports. The paper notes in substance that for the Head of State, ''the most important is that the Transition's institutions should continue functioning''.
The Head of State also confirmed the holding of the elections in the allotted time, says L'OBSERVATEUR. ''The government and other institutions are working in the perspective of the elections''. The Head of State is said to be happy that the members of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) will be sworn in Friday on 27 August.
LE PHARE further announces that the preliminary report issued by the Board of enquiry into the Gatumba massacre will first be submitted to the UN Secretary-General. It cited a declaration by Ms. Patricia, the Head of MONUC Public Information during yesterday's press conference.
Referring to Gatumba, LE POTENTIEL reports that the refugee camp was relocated 50 km away from the Congo Border with Burundi, under the agreement between the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Burundian Government.
