Angola announces "substantial" troop withdrawal

Angolan Foreign Minister Joao Miranda told the UN Security Council on Friday that a "substantial" number of Angolan troops have been withdrawn from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Angolan government news agency, Angop, reported. Miranda was speaking during a meeting among members of the Council and the Political Committee, of which Angola is chair, established within the framework of the 1999 Lusaka peace agreement. Miranda said Angola's move has been reported to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative in the DRC, Namanga Ngongi, who is now verifying the situation. Miranda said it would be imperative to implement UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of forces that have not been invited to intervene in the DRC, and on the demilitarisation of the northeastern city of Kisangani. He added that he expected Rwanda and other signatories to the Lusaka to follow Angola's example. Miranda also said he was "pleased" to note that the disengagement of forces was now a reality, and that in general the cease-fire was holding. Given the latest political and military developments in the DRC, Angop reported, Miranda was concerned about the prevailing insecurity in the eastern region of the country because it endangered progress made since the signing of Lusaka. Miranda endorsed the third phase of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, which will involve the disarming, demobilisation, repatriation and reintegration of armed groups, the withdrawal of foreign forces, and the promotion of the inter-Congolese national peace and reconciliation dialogue. Miranda reiterated his government's commitment to "working with all sides that would be interested in creating the conditions leading to the full implementation of the Lusaka Accord and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as well as an effective UN involvement in the peace process".