DRC - TALKING POINTS FOR JANUARY 30 BRIEFING

UNCLAS STATE 009678 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL SUBJECT: DRC - TALKING POINTS FOR JANUARY 30 BRIEFING ¶1. USUN is instructed to draw from the following talking points for their January 30 briefing on the DRC. Begin points: -- The United States thanks Mr. Titov for his thorough briefing on the Goma Agreement. -- The United States joins the Council in congratulating the government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the successful outcome of the Conference for Peace, Security, and Development in North and South Kivu held in Goma from January 6-29, 2008. -- The United States has been actively involved in seeking peace in the Kivus, the DRC, and the Great Lakes Region as a whole for over a decade, as is evident in our facilitation of the Tripartite Plus Commission. We are pleased with the outcome of the Goma conference and are cautiously optimistic about its success. -- The United States calls on all the groups who signed the Goma Agreement to respect the public commitments they have freely undertaken, especially to enforce discipline among their groups in regards to the ceasefire in the early, delicate stages of implementation. -- The United States stresses the importance of the joint commissions provided for in the statements of commitment and encourages the international community to support that process. -- The United States takes note of the Government's pledge to seek parliamentary approval of an amnesty law that covers acts of war and insurrection, and that the amnesty will not be extended to those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. -- The United States encourages the Government of the DRC and the Government of Rwanda to now focus their attention on implementation of the Nairobi Communique by promptly taking appropriate measures to induce the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) and other foreign armed groups to lay down their arms without preconditions and return to their home countries. -- The United States commends the role of the UN, and especially MONUC, in bringing greater stability to the DRC and the Great Lakes region. End points. RICE