At the invitation of H.E. Mr Joseph KABILA
KABANGE, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, H.E. Mr. Thabo Mbeki,
President of the Republic of South Africa, paid an official visit to Kinshasa,
Democratic Republic of Congo from 15 TO 16 March 2006. This visit falls within
the framework of the third session of the RSA-DRC Bi-national Commission.
In
this regard, H.E President Thabo MBEKI led a delegation consisting of eight Ministers,
two Deputy Ministers and senior officials form various Government departments
in the Republic of South Africa.
The Congolese delegation on
the other hand, led by H.E. President Joseph KABILA, was composed of the four
Vice Presidents and ten Ministers involved in the various cooperation projects
with South Africa.
The meeting of the two Heads of State was
preceded by a meeting of senior officials of SA and the DRC, FORM 9-13 March,
in order to prepare for the Ministerial meeting which took place on Wednesday,
15 March 2006.
The work of the experts and the Ministerial Meeting
reviewed the level of implementation of the commitments made by the two Parties
during previous meetings, especially during the 2nd BNC that took place form 27-29
April 2005 in Pretoria, RSA.
The present session of the BNC was
also an occasion for the two delegations to assess progress made by the DRC in
the vital areas of national reconstruction and especially in achieving the main
objective of the transition, in particular, the organization of free, democratic
and transparent elections.
During the meetings between the two
delegations and the two Heads of State, Presidents Joseph KABILA and Thabo MBEKI,
consensus was reached on various matters of common interest especially with regard
to bilateral cooperation and regional and international issues. The two Heads
of State expressed appreciation for the level of implementation of the decisions
taken by the two Governments.
It is important to note that during
their meeting, the two Heads of State and their respective delegations, expressed
particular interest in the progress made pertaining to the preparations for the
elections to be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Various
key areas requiring urgent intervention in preparation for the elections were
identified. Consensus was reached on the need to enhance security as well as the
institutional and human capacity of the Independent Electoral Commission.
In the framework of support for the development effort of the Democratic Republic
of Congo, three Agreements were signed, namely an Agreement on Co-operation in
the Field of Maritime Transport, Agreement on Decentralization and a Memorandum
of Understanding on Education Co-operation, which brings to twenty-six the number
of agreements signed between the two countries.
The two Heads
of State expressed their satisfaction regarding the tangible results achieved
during the 3rd session of the BNC. They reiterated their determination to strengthen
the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
H.E. President Thabo MBEKI however, renewed the commitment of the Republic of
South Africa to support the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in
its efforts to establish sustainable peace, the rule of law and encouraged the
Congolese leadership to keep to their firm commitment of organizing free and transparent
elections. He congratulated both the political actors and the Congolese people
for the success in the organization of the constitutional referendum, the adoption
of the new Constitution and the adoption and promulgation of the electoral law,
thus paving the way for the holding of historic elections scheduled for June 2006.
Moreover, the President of the Republic of South Africa invited the Congolese
Government to keep its promise to restore stability and peace and to develop the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the end of his visit to the
Democratic Republic of Congo, President Thabo MBEKI expressed his appreciation
to his counterpart, H.E. President Joseph KABILA and to the Congolese people for
the warm welcome and the hospitality which he and his delegation were accorded.
In conclusion, it was decided that the next meeting will be held in the Republic
of South Africa on a date to be decided upon through diplomatic channels.
