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UN chief urges DRC democracy pact | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for a "good governance pact" in the Democratic Republic of Congo. | |
"I would like to invite you to work out a pact with yourselves and the people you represent as well as with all your international partners," Mr Ban said. | |
He was addressing members of the DRC parliament at the start of a five-day tour of Africa - his first official foreign trip since taking office. | |
The DRC has the largest deployment of UN soldiers anywhere in the world. | |
Mr Ban will also join an African Union summit in Ethiopia - the key business part of his trip - and visit Kenya. | |
He has promised to keep Africa high on his agenda as UN chief. | |
'Real opposition' needed | |
The secretary general began his tour in a country still emerging from a bloody civil war. | |
To loud applause, Mr Ban told the Congolese national assembly the country's elections in 2006 were a real source of hope for Africa - but the task of rebuilding was enormous. | |
UN PEACEKEEPERS IN AFRICA DR Congo: 17,000Liberia: 15,500Eritrea/Ethiopia: 2,300Sudan: 10,000 in the south, proposal for 20,000 in Darfur, rejected by Sudan govtIvory Coast: 9,000Western Sahara: 200Somalia: Proposal for UN to take control of 9,000 African Union troops | UN PEACEKEEPERS IN AFRICA DR Congo: 17,000Liberia: 15,500Eritrea/Ethiopia: 2,300Sudan: 10,000 in the south, proposal for 20,000 in Darfur, rejected by Sudan govtIvory Coast: 9,000Western Sahara: 200Somalia: Proposal for UN to take control of 9,000 African Union troops |
He said there could be no democracy without justice. | |
"To be a healthy and thriving democracy [it] needs a real political opposition in which everyone can express himself freely and without fear of being intimidated," Mr Ban told lawmakers. | |
Calling on the Congolese politicians to co-operate, he said: "This would be a kind of good governance pact, because restoring the state's authority and ensuring the primacy of the rule of law across the country are indispensable for consolidating peace and democracy." | |
The UN secretary general spoke of the need to re-establish security and urged the creation of "a professional, well-paid and well-equipped army and police as a priority" - and promised continued UN support. | |
Mr Ban will meet the key opposition leader, Jean-Pierre Bemba and President Joseph Kabila on Sunday. | |
The UN's theory is that if this vast country can make the transition from war-torn nation to fledgling democracy, it will be a stable influence on the rest of troubled sub-Saharan Africa, says the BBC's UN correspondent, Laura Trevelyan, who is travelling with Mr Ban. | |
About 17,000 United Nations peacekeepers operate in the country, overseeing the peace process after the end of a bloody five-year war in 2002. | About 17,000 United Nations peacekeepers operate in the country, overseeing the peace process after the end of a bloody five-year war in 2002. |
'Deep concern' | 'Deep concern' |
Mr Ban is also due to meet President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan at the AU summit, which opens in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Monday. | Mr Ban is also due to meet President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan at the AU summit, which opens in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Monday. |
Our correspondent says in theory the Sudanese leader has accepted the idea of a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force in the troubled region of Darfur, but it has not happened yet. | Our correspondent says in theory the Sudanese leader has accepted the idea of a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force in the troubled region of Darfur, but it has not happened yet. |
The UN chief said the situation in Darfur was "on the top" of his agenda. | The UN chief said the situation in Darfur was "on the top" of his agenda. |
"I... am deeply concerned about the continuing violence and the suffering of the civilians there. This time we need action and to make real progress," he said. | "I... am deeply concerned about the continuing violence and the suffering of the civilians there. This time we need action and to make real progress," he said. |
He said he would urge President Bashir "to make a clear commitment" to accept the deployment of an UN-AU peacekeeping force in the war-torn region. | He said he would urge President Bashir "to make a clear commitment" to accept the deployment of an UN-AU peacekeeping force in the war-torn region. |
Nearly four years of fighting in Darfur has killed some 200,000 people there and more than two million people have been displaced. | Nearly four years of fighting in Darfur has killed some 200,000 people there and more than two million people have been displaced. |