Annan To Call M7 Over Congo

UNITED NATIONS - Tuesday - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he will be speaking to President Yoweri Museveni over his statement on Sunday that Uganda will pull out of the Lusaka Peace Accord in retaliation for a UN report accusing Uganda and others of plundering DR Congo's wealth. Annan, however, said Uganda's decision was not a setback to the peace process. "Under the agreement they are all supposed to withdraw from the Congo. If indeed Uganda does withdraw and ends its engagement in the Congo and respects the spirit of the agreement, I think it will be fine," he told reporters. The UN report on April 16, reviled by Museveni, was drawn up by an independent panel commissioned by the 15-member UN Security Council on whether foreign armies had an incentive to continue the war because of the country's vast riches. Among its recommendations were sanctions on mineral exports from Uganda as well as Rwanda. Museveni's announcement published in Sunday Vision also reiterated his (Museveni's) pledge to withdraw Ugandan troops from Congo, where they and Rwandan forces back rival rebel groups Kinshasa. But James Cunningham, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said he did not foresee sanctions instituted in the near future. He said he would meet shortly with Uganda's visiting foreign minister Eriya Kategaya. Both Annan and Cunningham, however, said the news about Uganda's move was transmitted through the media and not directly to the UN. Annan said he planned to speak to Museveni to get "more specific details" before commenting further. Annan called on Uganda on Monday to respect the ceasefire agreement despite its decision to pull out of the peace process there. He said Uganda and four other African countries which signed the ceasefire agreement in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on July 10, 1999, had committed themselves to withdrawing their forces from Congo. The US urged Uganda to address allegations that it looted Congo's mineral wealth and to reconsider quitting from the peace process. On Monday, Cunningham said issues raised in the report were not new. "We hope the government will address them in a constructive way and help bring peace to the region that will benefit them as well as their neighbours," he told a news briefing. The panel's report on April 16 probed the relationship between continuation of the war and lucrative business ventures among the combatants. Among its recommendations were sanctions on Uganda and Rwanda's exports in minerals, gold and timber. But Cunningham said he did not necessarily support sanctions. "Our goal is to secure improved performance," he said. "We hope this can be done without imposing new sanctions," Cunningham said. US State Department spokesman Phillip Reeker urged Uganda to reconsider its decision to pull out of the peace process. Reeker told reporters, "The participation of Uganda in the Lusaka process is important for the success of the process. All parties should focus on disengagement." Ends