§ Mr. BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the nature and extent of the continuing violence in the region of Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda about its responsibility for restoring peace to that region. [150471]
§ Mr. WilsonWe have received distressing reports about continuing inter-ethnic violence in and around Bunia. The conflict is complex, but seen by many as a violent extension of the local administration's inability to manage long-standing tensions between communities in the province. There are also accusations that the Ugandan forces, who effectively control eastern DRC, have been guilty of failing to prevent the violence. In some cases, Ugandan officers have been accused of participating in the killings.
Tension remains high, and humanitarian agencies have moved their staff to Bunia town for safety. Humanitarian access in the rest of the region is extremely difficult.
From the first reports of killings last year, our high commissioner in Kampala maintained a close dialogue with the Ugandan Government and army command. He 265W urged them to restore calm in the region and to defuse the situation, ensure humanitarian access, and check any action by the Ugandan army that may be contributing to the conflict. We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in close contact with humanitarian NGOs working in the region. In addition to bilateral contacts, we maintain close contact with the UN on these issues.
§ Mr. BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Rwandan Government about the involvement of their armed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [150469]
§ Mr. WilsonMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met President Kagame on 28 January. She encouraged him to seize the opportunity to move the Lusaka peace process forward. The UK permanent representative to the United Nations in New York also encouraged President Kagame to ensure Rwandan participation in the forthcoming meetings of signatories to the Lusaka agreement (12 and 15 March) during bilateral discussions in New York on 7 February, and urged him to engage in further dialogue with the other parties.
§ Mr. BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2001,Official Report, column 557W, and his answer to the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) of 24 January 2001, Official Report, column 593W, what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to encourage dialogue between the parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [150467]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Secretary of State's special representative for the Great Lakes and the UK permanent representative to the United Nations met President Kabila in New York on 2 February. They assured him of Britain's readiness to help, including through contacts with other parties to the conflict, and urged him to show the political will to make real progress on implementing the Lusaka agreement. Our ambassador in Kinshasa has spoken similarly to the Congolese Foreign Minister. We have taken similar action with all the other parties to the conflict in recent weeks. We have also been working with our UN, EU and African partners on moving the peace process forward.