HC Deb 09 May 2002 vol 385 c287W
Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with respect to(a) Tanzania and (b) Zimbabwe. [54259]

Clare Short

The peace process in the DRC falls within the framework of the 1999 Lusaka Peace Agreement to which Tanzania was not a signatory. However Tanzania is clearly interested in the stability of the Great Lakes region as a whole, particularly in relation to Burundi because of the large number of Burundian refugees currently in camps in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Government are active in seeking to persuade the Burundian rebel groups to agree a ceasefire with the Burundian Government. We continue to press for a full and inclusive settlement to the DRC conflict within the framework of the Lusaka Agreement, which inter alia provides for the withdrawal of all foreign forces in the DRC including those of Zimbabwe.