Contrary to the prevailing opinion, the current
crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) did not simply
sprawl out of the failure by Mr. Kabila to keep past agreements.
Indeed, few may have questioned the soundness and the appropriateness
of alleged agreements: three billion dollars in war dividends
and the Kivu region as a grant. The current crisis in DRC is an
institutional crisis and refers as much to a lack of legitimacy
by the government in power in Kinshasa. It is indeed safe to assume
that this crisis might not have occurred had the country embarked
on a path to an open, pluralistic and institution-based society
over the last fourteen months. Thus, to deal effectively with
this crisis and to insure a long-term stability not only in Congo
but in Central Africa and the Great Lakes region as a whole, a
political solution is needed and some institutional mechanisms
to implement such a solution need to be worked out. It is to such
an end that we propose the following eleven-point plan:
1.
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First and foremost, Mr. Kabila has to make a
formal and binding statement outlining his desire to reach
out to all the country's political forces and to form a government
of national unity. |
2.
|
A Special Political Conference on Congo (SPCC)
shall be organized in some neutral country (with a democratically
elected government) to which will be convened the government
of Congo and a select number of delegates from the major Congolese
political organizations, churches, and NGO's. Countries with
a historical tie to Congo (Belgium, France, and the US) as
well as other interested parties (countries and institutions)
will send delegates with an observer status. The conference
shall be held under the auspices of the United Nations. |
3.
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A general cease-fire shall be negotiated and
implemented no later than at the onset of the conference.
For a cease-fire to be productive, parties to the conflict
need to have the sense that their grievances will be dealt
with appropriately. |
4.
|
The government of the Congo will lift the ban
on the activities of political parties and free all political
prisoners no later than at the onset of the conference. |
5.
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The Special Political Conference on Congo (SPCC)
will adopt an overall political plan for a peaceful settlement
of the crisis and most importantly for moving the country
on to a pluralistic, democratic and law-abiding society. |
6.
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The SPCC will elect a Prime Minister for the
transitional period. The SPCC could choose to confirm the
Prime Minister elected by the National Sovereign Conference.
The final form of government will be defined by the Constitution
of the Third Republic, and the fact that there will be a prime
minister for the transition period shall in no way predetermine
the form of government in the new Congo. However, during the
transitional period a premiership is necessary to provide
for balance to the presidency. |
7.
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The SPCC will approve the formation of a government
of national unity, of an electoral commission, and of a constitutional
commission. The mandate of the government of national unity
will be to work for a peaceful settlement of the crisis and
to prepare for the holding of free and fair elections in nine
to fifteen months after the end of the Conference and under
the supervision of the United Nations. |
8.
|
The SPCC will approve the formation of a transitional
legislative body. Such a body could be made up of a limited
number of delegates in a mix of regional and institutional
representation. |
9.
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The SPCC will amend the Charter from the National
Sovereign Conference (NSC) to serve as the Charter for the
transitional period. |
10.
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The United Nations will send a peace-keeping
force to oversee the cease-fire and to serve as an international
guarantee for the process of political normalization. |
11.
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The SPCC will approve the calendar for the constitutional
referendum and for local, regional, legislative, and presidential
elections. |
We deeply believe that the cost of implementing
such a plan will be much lower than the cumulative expenses that
the international community will be obliged to incur repeatedly
in the Congo if the Congolese problem is not dealt with appropriately.
