13 06 12 EUROPEAN UNION Speech by HR Catherine Ashton on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
DRC is a fragile state
and a young democracy. It is still recovering from years of war and
deprivation. The road to recovery and stabilisation is
not straight-forward, but the EU
is determined to
persevere in supporting the DRC in
consolidating its democracy and accelerating its development.
The 2006 elections
marked a milestone in the DRC’s progress towards a more democratic future,
but
were achieved with huge support from the
international community. The 2011 elections, by contrast,
were primarily funded and organised by the DRC
itself. The challenges remained great; the
execution
may not have been perfect; but this is an
achievement we should recognise. The EU continued to
provide support for the electoral process through a
contribution of up to 47.5 M€ and by sending an
EU
Electoral Observation Mission.
I
shall take this opportunity to pay tribute to the commitment and hard work of
the EU Electoral
Observation Mission led by
Honourable Member Mariya Nedelcheva which carried out its work in
very difficult circumstances. Its final report (which has been well received by all political
actors in
DRC), highlighted the fact that the scale
of irregularities and fraud weakened, if not undermined, the
credibility of the outcome, and that significant
reforms and improvements were essential for the
future.
Nevertheless, in
present circumstances, all stakeholders have recognized that it would be
impossible
to recount the votes or organise a new
round of elections.
Our priority is therefore to follow-up the valuable
recommendations for future reforms in the
Observation Mission’s report.
These will be an important element of the dialogue between the EU
and the DRC government. In the short term, we expect to see significant improvements for
the
provincial and local elections to be organized
in the coming years.
In the immediate future, therefore, the EU will engage more
closely with the new DRC government to
improve the
democratic process and strengthen the country’s governance.
I am encouraged by the
recent appointment of Mr. Ponyo Matata as Prime Minister and the new
ministers that will work with him. Mr. Matata has
worked closely with the EU in the past and has a
good record as Finance Minister of the previous DRC
government and as National Authorising
Officer of
the European Development Fund. The commitments he made in his inaugural speech
to the
national assembly are encouraging and open
renewed prospects for political dialogue and progress in
improved governance.
Our Head of Delegation has already met several
Ministers of the new government and is beginning to
work closely with them. Initial impressions are
positive.
this must be proven by actions, not
just commitments.
We
have at our disposal significant sums for development assistance which we are
keen to use. Our
commitment is to ensure these are
used as productively as possible to meet the challenges of the
future.
Secondly, over the past three years, the situation in
the eastern Congo has improved. But it remains
extremely fragile and, as recent events have
highlighted, there remains a risk of it sliding back into
war and disorder. Our priority is to work with
international partners and with the governments of the
region to prevent this happening.
The mutiny by some
elements in the Congolese Armed Forces – effectively former rebels returning
to
the bush – has caused renewed fighting in the
Kivus. I am appalled by, and strongly condemn, the
recent mass killings by several armed groups.
One consequence has been a sharp increase in the
number of internally displaced people in the last
few months, the total now exceeding 2 million people.
EU humanitarian assistance already amounts
to €63
million in 2012, and clearly the humanitarian crisis is not over.
The EU is committed to the unity
and sovereignty of DRC. I condemn the rebellion and strongly
support the restoration of the authority of the State
in eastern Congo. This, of course, needs to take
account of the legitimate security concerns of DRC's
immediate neighbours.
In this context, I am worried
about recent reports by the UN mission in DRC about external support to
this rebellion. If confirmed, these developments would
put at risk the positive regional dynamics
between
DRC and Rwanda, and weaken their cooperation which has helped underpin progress
in the
eastern Congo in recent years. Clear messages have been passed to
all stakeholders in order to
encourage a
constructive approach in the current circumstances. The EU recalls the need
for all illegal
armed groups to lay down their
weapons and avoid further violence.
Regional
cooperation is essential for tackling a number of the problems of the Great
Lakes region,
including the illegal exploitation of
natural resources (“conflict minerals”) and the provision of
improved energy supplies for all.
We
support the activities of MONUSCO in DRC and welcomes the renewal of its mandate
at the end
of June. Protection of civilians in
eastern Congo will remain an important mission for MONUSCO in
the coming years.
But
there will be no sustainable peace in Congo without the rule of law and the
application of justice.
This is why I welcome and support
the arrest warrant launched by the prosecutor against Gen. Bosco
Ntaganda. This is a clear sign that impunity will
not prevail and provides hope for the people who are
suffering at the hands of armed groups.
Our contribution to the
reconstruction of the judicial system is also an integral part of the wider
campaign against gender-based violence in the
DRC. Everyone must know that such crimes can and
will be punished. But our programmes aim equally to
tackle the root causes as well as the symptoms
of
this problem.
The EU has supported action to keep
the DRC on the agenda of the Human Rights Council and
encourage the Government to cooperate with the
Council.
Security Sector Reform also
continues to be crucial. We are contributing through the operation of
two missions – EUSEC supporting military
re-structuring and EUPOL helping reform of the police. I
look forward to continuing to contribute to it through
the most appropriate instruments, taking into
account the UN peace keeping mission’s (MONUSCO's)
future mandate. But the Security
Sector
Reform will only be a success with the
sustained commitment of DRC's authorities at all levels.
In conclusion, I want to
reiterate that the EU is committed for the long-term to support the DRC and
the Great Lakes region to escape from the conflicts of
the past and build a sustainable, more
prosperous
and more peaceful future. It is the people of the DRC we are determined to help,
and to
do so through a comprehensive approach that
tackles the many inter-linked problems they face. We
will persevere.