U.N.: Republic of Congo not ready for peace force
August 13, 1997
Web posted at: 4:40 p.m. EDT (2040 GMT)
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council on
Wednesday condemned the outbreak of factional fighting in the
Republic of Congo, and said conditions don't yet exist for
the deployment of a peacekeeping force.
The 15-member council issued a statement calling on the
feuding factions to "halt all acts of violence immediately"
and adhere to a cease-fire signed in Gabon on July 13.
Meanwhile, a private radio station loyal to militia leader
Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso said Wednesday that 47 fighters
from a rival militia had been killed in fierce fighting.
The peace force was requested by Gabonese President Omar
Bongo, head of the international mediation effort.
But the United Nations said the Republic of Congo must make
three concessions before a peacekeeping force will be
considered: implement a cease-fire, agree to international
control of the capital's airport in Brazzaville and commit to
a negotiated military and political settlement.
"The Security Council is of the view that, despite some
positive political developments, these conditions have not
yet been fulfilled," said the statement read by the council's
president, British Ambassador Sir John Weston.
Advance peacekeeping force sought
The fighting broke out June 5, after President Pascal
Lissouba sent troops to surround the home of Sassou-Nguesso,
his predecessor, as part of a crackdown on private militias.
Hundreds of people died, many of them civilians killed by
indiscriminate shelling, before the fragile cease-fire was
signed.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his special envoy for
the region, Mohamed Sahnoun, have proposed an advance force
of about 1,000 troops -- outside U.N. jurisdiction -- as a
first step to U.N. involvement.
Eventually, they want the number of soldiers to be increased,
and the peacemaking effort approved as a U.N. operation.
About 17 African countries are ready to participate.
The entire venture has been tenuous from the start with
reluctance among some countries, especially the United
States, to sponsor another peacekeeping operation.
A peacekeeping force would be financed solely by U.N.
members, whereas a multinational force would need voluntary
financial contributions from participants or other interested
countries. In either case, authorization from the Security
Council is needed to give the operation legitimacy.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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