Zaire: Kofi Annan calls for negotiated solution.

PositionUN Secretary-General

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 14 April said he was pleased that the two parties to the conflict in Zaire had accepted the five-point peace plan endorsed by the Security Council on 18 February in resolution 1097 (1997), but expressed concern that its implementation had not yet begun in earnest. As of our going to press, there was still no firm ceasefire.

Mr. Annan appealed to all Member States to press Laurent Kabila, leader of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL), and his supporters in the Great Lakes region to seek a negotiated solution through a ceasefire and sustained talks on the future of Zaire. He said he was encouraged that Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko had agreed to a dialogue with Mr. Kabila. "A durable solution cannot be achieved through military means", Mr. Annan stressed.

The Secretary-General said Zaire was "on the verge of major political change, but this change has to be managed, with the support of the international community, in a concerted and focused manner. In such situations, progress is usually made when the entire international community comes together."

Stressing that the stakes were high, Mr. Annan said, "if we are successful, Zaire could begin to move in the direction of national reconciliation, democracy and prosperity. If we fail, it will mean misery and stagnation for millions of people in the region."

With the ADFL having taken command of the diamond capital, Mbuji-Mayi, on 2 April and Lubumbashi, Zaire's second largest city and capital of the mineral-rich Shaba region, on 8 April, as well as of Kisangani earlier, it was poised to control much of Zaire's economy, as well as a third of its territory.

Talks between the Government and the ADFL aimed at resolving the Zairian conflict ended on 8 April in South Africa, with South African Deputy President Thabo Mbeki saying that the parties were developing "a spirit of mutual trust". The talks had been co-chaired by the joint United Nations/Organization of African Unity (OAU) Special Representative, Mohamed Sahnoun of Algeria, and by South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad.

According to a joint statement issued at a news conference attended by the two delegations, "both parties agreed on negotiations to bring about a peaceful political solution to the conflict. This necessitates a complete cessation of hostilities".

Secretary-General Annan immediately welcomed the outcome of the initial talks, saying that these had...

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