Written question asked by Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party) on Tuesday, 14 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 March 2006. It was answered by Ian Pearson (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 March 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the initiatives implemented by the Government of Uganda since 2001 to stabilise the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Successive reports by the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arms embargo have highlighted poor co-operation by the Ugandan Government. There have also been continuing accusations of Ugandan interference in eastern DRC.However, Uganda has participated actively in the Tripartite Plus Commission, which brings together Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and Burundi with the aim of improving dynamics on the ground, and finding solutions to issues affecting the region.Ugandan and DRC troops, with the help of the MONUC, the UN force in DRC, have also shared information to co-ordinate operations against the Lord's Resistance Army in northern DRC.We welcome these initiatives, and continue to impress on Uganda the need to play a constructive role in the DRC peace process, and to respect the DRC's territorial integrity.

Secondary information