YouSaid · the spoken record

President Dos Santos

lines on the record
11
first
2000-01-24
most recent
2000-01-24
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “These proposals entailed a programme of concrete actions designed to prevent and resolve regional conflicts and to accelerate development in African countries over the following decade, emphasizing the health and education of new generations as high priorities, among other far-reaching measures destined to achieve good governance and to strengthen and stabilize the democratic institutions. We trust that at the end of these meetings, thanks to the wisdom and goods sense of members, concrete measures will be taken to affirm and consolidate peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the entire Central African region, including the Great Lakes region. Madam President, I wish you every success in your presidency.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  2. “Furthermore, the ways and means of disarming the Interahamwe forces, as provided for in the Lusaka accords, remain to be determined. These accords fail to offer any political guarantees for these elements. It seems to me that there is also a need for an internal political agreement for Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. This way the the Great Lakes issue could be resolved. Therefore, the United Nations should commit itself to seeking a peaceful and democratic solution to this crisis. It should tackle this with the same seriousness as it has in crises of other parts of the world. Three years ago, we welcomed the proposals of the Secretary-General on Africa.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  3. “National debate, or national dialogue, as it is being called here, should focus on discussion of a provisional constitution of the Republic, of electoral law and mechanisms for voter registration and of laws to regulate political parties. The new institutions should start operating as soon as elections are held. The elected parliament should play the role of a constituent assembly and be entrusted with approving the final constitution of the Republic. The Great Lakes conflict is still ongoing and is closely linked to the development of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the ceasefire has been continuously violated and the rebel forces have not yet been disarmed, due to the lack of trust between the parties.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  4. “To this end, we ask that the United Nations act expeditiously by sending peacekeeping forces and by increasing logistical and financial support. With a view to making the Lusaka accords operational and speed up their implementation, allow me to make the following suggestions. The disarmament of the rebel forces should be accelerated and a single national army should be formed. The authority of the present Government should be recognized as that of a Government of transition that should lead the country to legislative and presidential elections, to be held under the supervision of the international community. Security guarantees must be established for the installation of the rebel leaders in the country's capital and their integration into the transitional political process.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  5. “It is also important to recognize that significant changes have occurred in the region since the signing of the accords. This new situation allows for a better understanding of the different links existing between the rebel forces in the region and, at the same time, creates better conditions for a rapid solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is why the United Nations, in addition to guaranteeing the actions provided for in the accords - namely, the disarming and demilitarization of the rebel forces - also has an immediate and special responsibility to proceed to interpositioning and separating the warring forces so as to uphold the cease-fire and avoid new violations.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  6. “The omission of the principle that the legitimacy and authority of the present Government and President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo should be recognized leaves room for some confusion and uncertainty. A Government that has not been militarily defeated cannot accept to capitulate at the negotiating table. The accords provide for a military and a political process to bring about a solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, their principal shortcoming is that they limit to some extent the sovereignty of the power instituted and place it on an equal footing with the forces that oppose it through violent and illegal means. At the same time, external aggression is dealt with in a very moderate fashion.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  7. “Within less than a year, Angola was surprised by the outbreak of a new war in the country and was once again forced to intervene in order to avoid bloodshed and contain the threat of escalation of this new war on its borders. Once this threat to its own security was eliminated, as well as the threat of disintegration to this sister country, Angola immediately sought to join in the search for a solution to the internal conflict of the Democratic Republic of the Congo through dialogue and regional consultations. Accordingly, the Angolan Government approved the results of the Pretoria meeting, as well as the principles adopted at the Victoria Falls summit held in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, these principles were not fully incorporated into the Lusaka accords of July and August 1999.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  8. “In this context, Angola ended up a short time later assuming the role of a strategic ally in conducting the war and the political process that culminated with the victory of the Congolese people over the dictatorship. When the new Government was instituted and the then Zaire became the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the hopes of all the Congolese people were reborn. Taking into account the chaotic situation that existed and the heavy legacy it inherited, it was implicitly assumed that the Government would be given a grace period by its people and by the international community to re-establish peace, re-organize the political and economic systems and mobilize society so as to strengthen national unity and rebuild the country. But that did not happen.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  9. “Poor governance, oppression and the failure of the economic system led the country into discredit at the international level and produced a chaotic domestic situation that forced hundreds of thousands of its citizens to immigrate to neighbouring countries, thereby compelling those countries to reinforce the control and protection of their borders. When the internal political opposition organized itself to confront the regime, some of its members decided to carry out an armed struggle of national liberation from the eastern region. All the affected countries supported the forces of liberation and change for the establishment of democracy. Angola, of course, joined in that regional effort, together with Rwanda and Uganda.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  10. “It is precisely to discuss one of these conflicts - the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - that we are gathered here today. The intensification and escalation of this conflict threaten to involve ever more neighbouring countries. This country, one of the largest in Africa, is extremely rich in natural resources. It has a population of over 50 million inhabitants and shares common borders with nine other countries. For many years it was ruled by a dictatorial regime that transformed the country into a permanent base for aggression and destabilization against all the countries of the region, especially Angola.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source

  11. “President dos Santos (spoke in Portuguese; English text furnished by the delegation): I would like to thank the Council for having invited me to take part in this meeting of the Security Council dedicated to an analysis of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At a time when we thought that, with the end of the so-called cold war, the world would embark upon a new era of peace and cooperation for development, events began to unfold in Africa that are frustrating many of our expectations. Local conflicts increased and the economic and social situation in many countries began to deteriorate. We also witnessed the emergence of other misfortunes, such as transnational crime, drug trafficking and intolerance of every nature, especially intolerance based on ethnic and religious grounds.”

    2000-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4092 (2000) · source