Pretoria accord monitoring team begins work in Kinshasa

The secretariat of the third party verification mechanism established to oversee the implementation of the peace accord signed on 30 July between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Rwanda held its first meeting on Wednesday, in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, the United Nations Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, has reported. "The main issues discussed by the secretariat related to operational mechanisms, lines of communication with all relevant stakeholders, report-back mechanisms and processing of the information received," MONUC reported on Thursday. "In accordance with the timetable for the implementation of the Pretoria agreement, the secretariat has already received important information from the signatories." The secretariat consists of two representatives from the United Nations and four South African government officials. "I think there will be some concrete proposals [from the secretariat] to facilitate the work of MONUC, which must continue to assure verification on the ground and proceed with the programme of disarming and demobilising armed groups [in eastern DRC]," Amos Namanga Ngongi, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative to the DRC, told a news conference in Kinshasa on Wednesday. The Pretoria accord was signed on 30 July in the South African administrative capital by DRC President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Under the deal, the DRC will round up and extradite an estimated 12,000 Hutu militia generally held responsible for perpetrating Rwanda's 1994 genocide, and said to be hiding within DRC territory. The action is slated to begin within a month from 30 July, to be followed 15 days later by Rwanda's withdrawal of 30,000 of its troops now inside the DRC. The Rwandan withdrawal is meant to be completed within a 45-day period.