Belgium investigating exploitation of DRC resources

A Belgian commission of inquiry on the Great Lakes convened on Friday in Brussels to investigate alleged involvement of Belgian and non-Belgian companies in the illegal trade of natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and to explore measures to halt such activities from fueling war in the region. The commission was established in the wake of Monday's publication of the addendum report of the UN panel on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the DRC, and under pressure from the public. Belgium, the former colonial ruler of the Congo, is the non-African nation most often cited in the report. A Belgian NGO campaign called "No Blood on My Mobile", referring to the common use of coltan in portable phones, has generated public awareness of illicit mining of the high-conductivity mineral by unauthorised parties in the DRC, one of a few places in the world where coltan is found in large quantities. The commission is composed of 15 members from various Belgian political parties, under the chairmanship of Liberal Party Senator Andre Geens. In Belgium, commissions of inquiry have far-reaching investigative powers, similar to those of attorneys. Testimonies and experts will be heard, behind closed doors if necessary. "Given the urgency of the situation in the region, the commission should rapidly investigate the opportunity of taking temporary measures to stem the business of plundered mineral resources so as to stop the financing of the war," Marc-Olivier Herman, initiator of the coltan awareness campaign, told IRIN. The full name of the Belgian inquiry body is "Commission parlementaire d'enquete chargee d'enqueter sur l'exploitation et le commerce legaux et illegaux de richesses naturelles dans la region des Grands Lacs au vu de la situation conflictuelle actuelle et de l'implication de la Belgique". Speaking on Wednesday, Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Michel Malherbe said his government deemed the UN report to be "balanced", describing Belgium's implication as resulting from the "intensity" of commercial relations between his country and the DRC and as demonstrating the "high degree of transparency" of Belgium and Belgian enterprises, the official news agency Belga reported. The 38-page UN addendum report can be found at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/letters/2001/1072e.pdf