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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent events in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [1035] Mr. Tony Lloyd: The end of the Mobutu regime and the advent of a new government in the former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, brings important new opportunities and possibilities for the people of that country and our relations with it. We welcome the fact that the changeover of power in the capital has been achieved without widespread violence. We hope and expect that Laurent Kabila and his forces will ensure discipline and stability and promote reconciliation in the difficult days ahead. We have urged Mr. Kabila to ensure decent treatment for the refugees in his country and full access to them by humanitarian agencies now that the fighting is over. We are deeply concerned by the situation in the eastern part of the country and reports of the killing of refugees. We are addressing this serious problem bilaterally and with our partners in the EU and at the UN. We look forward to establishing a constructive relationship with the incoming administration. We welcome Mr. Kabila's commitment to convene a constituent assembly and to hold elections and his stated commitment to human rights. We hope the transitional authority will be as broadly based as possible and that it will bring with it the much needed respect for human rights and the rule of law so long denied to the people of the country. The support of the international community will be essential if these hopes and plans are to be speedily realised. The British Government will play its full part, with its partners in the United Nations and the European Union, in helping to construct a better future for all the people.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

1035; 295 c78-9W

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Human rights Zaire Democratic Republic of the Congo