Annan proposes intervention plan

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday "strongly recommended" that the UN Security Council immediately authorise the deployment of 90 military personnel to the DRC. In a report to the Council on UN "preliminary deployment," Annan said he was also prepared, as a second stage, to recommend a further deployment of up to 500 military observers within the DRC and, as required, to the "belligerent and other neighbouring states." The proposed UN Observer Mission in the DRC (MONUC) would be led by a Special Representative, to be appointed "in due course," the report said. Since a "purely military solution appears to be impossible", Annan intended to submit to the Council detailed proposals for the subsequent deployment of a peacekeeping mission. In the report, received by IRIN on Monday, Annan said the initial 90 military personnel would serve mainly as liaison officers to the national capitals and rear military headquarters of the main belligerents, especially Kinshasa and elsewhere in the DRC, Kigali, Kampala, Luanda, Harare and Windhoek. There would also be a liaison cell at Lusaka and the immediate deployment of backup civilian, political and humanitarian staff. The report follows the 10 July signing - by leaders of the six belligerent countries - of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement, which has not yet been signed by the Congolese rebel groups.