Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo experts have again gathered in Washington and effectively approved a peace agreement.
Mediated by the US government, the agreement is based on the broad outlines of the declaration of principles signed by the two States last April.
According to Patrick Muyaya, the DRC government spokesman, the agreement is a new positive step toward achieving peace in eastern Congo.
“We are in a very delicate process. We have been engaged in this process for two years, and every time there are steps, we appreciate them. What happened in Washington is a second positive step towards peace because we want to go there,” Muyaya said.
He added, “There was the declaration of principles on April 25, and what just happened was the second phase, and the third phase, the most decisive of which will be that of the foreign ministers on June 27.”
“The first principle speaks of the territorial integrity of the DRC, its governance and its independence, the second principle spoke of security concerns because it is important that between us and Rwanda after this crisis that we put mechanisms in place that allow us to give mutual guarantees and that even if there are subjects that can be delicate, we can manage them in such a way as to avoid resorting to weapons or an armed confrontation,” he indicated.
Muyaya also noted, “We must not forget that the principles that were agreed upon also include issues related to economic integration, because we know that countries are linked and are part of sub-regional organizations, but these things can only be done in a condition of restored and definitive peace.”
“There is the issue of refugees on both sides, and therefore all these subjects, following the declaration of principles, were studied, and this was summarized in the State Department press release,” Muyaya explained.