Democratic Republic of the Congo (Hansard, 11 February 2002)

§ Lord Grocott
My Lords, long-term recovery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo depends on a resolution of the conflict and the establishment of a representative national government and state institutions. The Government believe that the Lusaka peace process provides the right framework for achieving long-term peace. In the meantime, we have more than doubled our humanitarian programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a total of more than £10 million this year. That is channelled through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and international nongovernmental organisations.

§ Baroness Rawlings
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that clear Answer. Is he aware of reports during the past few weeks that more than 15,000 people have been displaced in the north-eastern parts of the DRC, because of ethnic and political fighting? Such violence greatly hampers the humanitarian effort in the region.
881 Does he believe that there is a role for Uganda, whose troops remain in the region, in bringing to it greater peace and stability?

§ Lord Grocott
My Lords, the noble Baroness is right to raise the particular problems in the north-east of the country, which has a long-standing record—if that is the right word—of conflict between different groups, and in which Uganda has an understandable, legitimate security interest. Any progress in that or any other area of the country depends on the Lusaka accord and all parties, including Uganda, working on that basis.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, while welcoming the Prime Minister's commitment to the New Partnership for African Development, and his undertaking while in Africa to lobby for support for it at the forthcoming G8 meeting, what will those proposals do for people who live in areas that are not under state control, such as the RCD-controlled entity in eastern DRC? Can the noble Lord say anything further to our recent debate on sub-Saharan Africa about what the Government are doing to halt the illicit exports of coltan via Kigali, which are taking up all available cargo space to the exclusion of legitimate consignments from that city?

§ Lord Grocott
My Lords, I welcome the noble Lord's comment about the Prime Minister's initiative. It is not exactly a news story that I—or anyone else on these Benches—think that the Prime Minister does a good job. At a time when, it is suggested, there is a fair degree of cynicism about political leaders, I hope that the whole House will commend the Prime Minister on embarking on such a campaign to deal with poverty and conflict in Africa. That campaign has been followed through since his conference speech last year. On that front, if not on others, it cannot be said that things are driven by opinion polls, focus groups or anything else; it is being done because it is the right thing to do. I shall write to the noble Lord on the specific question of cargoes and freight.

§ Baroness Williams of Crosby
My Lords, we also commend what the Minister just said about the Prime Minister's initiative in Africa, but I should like to pursue the question one stage further. The noble Lord will know that the Lusaka accord required the withdrawal of all the armies of the neighbouring states from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he will recognise that that has not been completed. Will his right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary bring their influence to bear in upholding the Lusaka accord, in respect of Zimbabwe, in particular? Zimbabwe has withdrawn 10,000 troops only until after the presidential election is completed and has, so far, given no indication that those troops will not return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to continue the plundering of that tragic state.

§ Lord Grocott
My Lords, I agree with the thrust of the question asked by the noble Baroness. The Lusaka accord is the absolute bedrock of the Government's 882 position as far as concerns the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As the noble Baroness rightly said, that accord includes the withdrawal of foreign troops, as well as the process of reconciliation in the area.
I emphasise, in the language of the day, that the strength of the Lusaka accord comes from the fact that it was driven forward and signed within the Congo itself. There is local ownership of it, if that is the right phrase, and it is supported by the United Nations. I assure the noble Baroness that that it is at the heart of the Government's thinking that we should press forward on that basis, including on the specific point about Zimbabwe that she raised. The noble Baroness will know that the recent UN panel report said that Zimbabwe's presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was motivated primarily by commercial concerns. It is the Government's strategy to deal with that.

§ Lord Eden of Winton
My Lords, can the Minister say what arrangement there is for following up or monitoring progress under the Lusaka accord? By whom is it done? Is it done within the Congo or by some of the neighbouring states, the Commonwealth or the United Nations?

§ Lord Grocott
My Lords, as I said, the strength of the Lusaka accord comes from the fact that all the interested parties are behind it, signed it and supported it. By its presence and by other means, the United Nations is giving it a fair wind. The situation is moving on all the time. The next meeting of the Inter-Congolese dialogue, which is an important part of the Lusaka accord, is scheduled to take place on 25th February. That is the next step along the road that, we hope, will show some success.