IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO PLEDGES CONTINUED UN HELP FOR EFFORTS TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE

IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO PLEDGES CONTINUED UN HELP FOR EFFORTS TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE
New York, Apr 23 2007 2:00PM
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where she has pledged continued United Nations support for the country's efforts to consolidate peace.

Speaking to reporters when she arrived in Kinshasa on Sunday, Ms. Migiro pointed out that the UN has deployed its largest peacekeeping operation in the DRC. She hailed last year's free and fair elections – the first held in the country in some four decades – and paid tribute to the "determination of the Congolese people to rejoin the family of democratic African nations in the world."

The Deputy Secretary-General, who will meet with the President, Prime Minister, other senior officials and representatives of various groups, said she would reassure them of the UN's commitment to support their efforts to achieve reconstruction and reconciliation.

"I will also underline the need for all in the DRC to work together with the UN and the international community to attain these objectives, which are necessary conditions to consolidate democracy and pave the way for the prosperity that this country richly deserves," she said.

"This is a critical moment in the history of the DRC; with the formation of the Government, the Congolese people are waiting, as is their right, to benefit from the sacrifices made in the cause of peace," she added, voicing hope that these aspirations would be realized.

Ms. Migiro is expected to travel next to the capital of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville, where she will attend an annual meeting with the regional management team of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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