DRC Joint Military Commission talks

Talks on the establishment of a Joint Military Commission (JMC) to monitor the ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were due to start in Lusaka on Tuesday afternoon, a senior Zambian government official told IRIN. He said the talks had been delayed by a day because some delegates from the six nations involved had been late to arrive in Zambia. "Our understanding is that the various parties or their representatives are now here and the talks will get underway," he said. The JMC would comprise all parties involved in the conflict. Defence ministers met in Lusaka on Monday "to clear up differences and pave the way for the talks on setting up the Joint Military Commission", the official said. Meanwhile, Namibia's defence minister, Erkki Nghimtima, was quoted as telling 'The Namibian' on Tuesday that those involved in the JMC talks would first have to decide on the location in DRC of their headquarters and discuss a schedule of regular follow-up meetings. The newspaper said that under the ceasefire deal agreed in Lusaka two weeks ago, each of the warring parties would name two officers to the JMC, which together with a UN-Organisation of African Unity (OAU) observer group, would be responsible for peacekeeping operations until the deployment of a larger UN peacekeeping force.