US admits "dragging its heels" to ensure UN gets things right

The future of the United Nations would be determined by its handling of the DRC conflict in the coming months and that explained the US "dragging its heels" on support for a peacekeeping force, US Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke has stated. Some of the conditions of the Lusaka agreement had not been fulfilled by its signatories and Washington did not
intend to "hand over a blank cheque" to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations when details of a possible peacekeeping missions, and its cost, had not been worked out, Holbrooke said. "We are dragging our feet right now, but not because we are opposed to peacekeeping in Congo. We are dragging our feet because we want the peacekeeping operation, and we want
to get it right," IPS quoted him as saying.

The US ambassador's comments followed a briefing to the UN Security Council by Under-Secretary for Peacekeeping Bernard Miyet in which he said the UN Observer Mission to the Congo (MONUC) had managed to deploy 62 of 90 proposed military liaison officers, but still did not have the freedom of movement to conduct a survey of the military situation in the whole
country, IPS added. Without that, said Miyet, "we will not be in a position fully to assess the conditions for security... or to develop a detailed and comprehensive concept of (peacekeeping) operations."