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(DAILY MAIL) DRC peace important for development

DRC peace important for development
By ANGELA CHISHIMBA

PRESIDENT Banda says the global economic crisis will have negative effects on Zambia if peace is not attained in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mr Banda said this at State House when he met the United Nations Secretary General’s special envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo.

General Obasanjo, who is former President of Nigeria, is in the country to consult Government on how best to broker peace in the DRC.

Mr Banda said Gen. Obasanjo had a task of facilitating and advising how to solve problems that DRC, which had the longest border with Zambia, was facing. “Obviously, your efforts are for our benefit as well,” he said.

Mr Banda said DRC was an important neighbour having most of her economic assets along the border with Zambia.

“We are very supportive of the efforts that you and your colleague, President Benjamin Mkapa (former Tanzanian President), are making because it is really important for Zambia, especially at this time that there are economic problems arising from the collapse of the financial system in the world, as well as the collapse of the prices of our main commodity – copper - which we have in common with them [DRC].

“This means our people on both sides of the border are facing great difficulties economically, so we are all praying for you to succeed,” he said.
Gen. Obasanjo said he and Mr Mkapa were on a mission to broker peace in eastern DRC.

He said his team was not limited to DRC alone but that their mandate covered the entire Great Lakes region. He said when his delegation met in Nairobi in November last year, presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Joseph Kabila (DRC) hardly talked to each other.

“We have moved from that situation to a situation where they call each other on a daily basis, they work together, they joke together, they now plan joint operations together to remove the irritants [rebels] on both sides.

“By working together, they are removing these irritants and are cooperating and strengthening the economic collaboration between themselves and within the Great Lakes region,” he said.

Mr Obasanjo said Zambia was involved by virtue of being DRC’s neighbour.

“Whatever happens to your neighbour directly or indirectly has an implication on you, and that’s why we have come to brief you on where we are and also to seek your advice on how we should move on,” he said.

Labels: DRC, GREAT DEPRESSION II, OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:48 PM