21 03 13 Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the appointment of Mary Robinson as Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations for the Great Lakes region

"I warmly welcome the decision of the Secretary General of the United Nations
to appoint Mary Robinson as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of
Africa.

In her previous capacities, including as President of Ireland and United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Robinson has demonstrated her
commitment to peace, democracy and human rights.

I wish to express the EU's willingness to work closely with the office of the
Special Envoy in support for the implementation of the Peace, Security and
Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great
Lakes region of Africa.

The plight of the population in the eastern DRC and the regional impact of
the crisis require urgent action. I am convinced that the framework agreement
provides the right context for action both at the national and the regional
levels.

I hope that the conditions will be met in the near future to facilitate the
work of the Special Envoy. To this end, I look forward to the adoption of a new
UNSC resolution revising MONUSCO's mandate and I hope that negotiations in
Kampala between the DRC government and the M23 will conclude rapidly. The fight
against impunity would make a crucial step forward by transferring Bosco
Ngtanda, currently in Kigali, to the International Criminal
Court.

I take this opportunity to commend the efforts of the UNSG and of our African
partners to finding a lasting solution to the crisis in the eastern
DRC.”