Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(Adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution)

February 25, 2000

1. Japan welcomes the fact that on February 24, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution (UNSCR 1291), authorizing the dispatch of up to 5,537 U.N. PKO personnel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based on the conditions that the parties concerned provide assurances for the security and the cooperation to the PKO personnel, and supporting the facilitation of the National Dialogue. Japan calls on all the parties concerned to extend utmost cooperation to the United Nations so that the U.N. personnel expanded by the resolution will be deployed and start operations as early as possible, and repeats its request for the fulfillment of the obligations under the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in order to restore peace and stability in the country and the Great Lakes Region.
   
   
2. Japan has been appealing for holding the National Dialogue to achieve national reconciliation in the country. Now that the U.N. Security Council has passed a resolution calling on all U.N. member states to provide support for the National Dialogue, Japan has decided to contribute 300,000 dollars to the U.N. Trust Fund to Support the Peace Process in the DRC, with a view to promoting the Dialogue, in addition to the 200,000 dollars that Japan already announced for the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement. Japan strongly hopes that this assistance will help restore peace and stability in the DRC and the Region.
   
   
3. From the standpoint that political stability constitutes the foundation for development, Japan has expressed its determination of active engagement in resolution of conflicts in African region in general at such fora as the Second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD II) in October 1998. Concerning the conflicts in the DRC in particular, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and the then Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura urged, at TICAD II, an early realization of peace by means of talks to leaders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Organization of African Unity. In January this year, Prime Minister Obuchi sent messages to the leaders of countries concerned at the time of the U.N. Security Council meeting regarding the conflicts in the DRC. Japan has thus taken every opportunity to appeal to the parties concerned the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflicts.
   
   

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