JMC adopts concept papers on four key issues

A plenary meeting of the Joint Military Commission (JMC), established to implement the Lusaka ceasefire agreement, ended in Harare on Monday with the adoption of four concept papers, UN sources told IRIN on Wednesday. An official from the UN's JMC support team said the papers dealt with the disengagement of forces, disarmament of armed groups, withdrawal of foreign forces and humanitarian imperatives in the DRC. These had been finalised between 30 November and 4 December in Harare by working groups of the JMC. These papers "set out the principles of what is to be achieved" and were "quite tight and quite good," but it would still be up to the JMC to set out deadlines and modalities for putting them into practice, the official said. The JMC meeting was marked by a "good debate" on the subject of numerous ceasefire violations reported in recent weeks, and "a spirit of cooperation to try and resolve them". The official said the results could be seen in the Ikela settlement. The next JMC meeting is scheduled for 20 January, but thereafter it is hoped to have a standing committee so that the JMC is constantly in session, he added.