Un Summons Wapa To USA
Nov 01, 2002
The Security Council of the United Nations has told Uganda to defend itself against allegations raised by a specially constituted UN panel that top Ugandan army brass and other well-connected officials plundered the war-torn DR Congo under the guise of fi
By Vision Reporter
The Security Council of the United Nations has told Uganda to defend itself against allegations raised by a specially constituted UN panel that top Ugandan army brass and other well-connected officials plundered the war-torn DR Congo under the guise of fighting insecurity.
Foreign affairs minister James Wapakhabulo flies out this weekend to face the New York-based powerful 15-member nation body in charge of global security on November 5, 2002 at the 190-member United Nations Organisation’s headquarters.
Wapakhabulo said yesterday, “The (Security) Council has asked us to explain our (Uganda’s) position in the face of the allegations by the UN panel’s report. So I have to be in New York on Tuesday to present our case. I have been consulting widely and I think that invitation is very important for us.â€
Wapakhabulo, Uganda’s third deputy premier and MP for Mbale Municipality, also said, “Unlike the usual Security Council debates which are a closed affair, this debate is going to be an open one.
“Our position is that we welcome the final report in that its coverage is much wider than the first two. It acknowledges that individuals, rather than Uganda as a state and its companies, were involved.â€
The Nairobi-based UN panel released its 59-page report on October 15 and the Security Council started debating it on October 24.
Wapakhabulo said Justice Porter’s probe commission on the same matter will hand over his findings to the Government next week.
The probe’s term expires on November 15, 2002.
Wapakhabulo lashed out at the UN panel report saying, “But it is wanting in several aspects. For example, the UN panel totally ignored Uganda’s legitimate security concerns that Ugandan rebels had bases in the Congo. Once we destroyed these bases, our security especially in western Uganda, improved. We then withdrew our forces.â€
He insisted that he was not going to comment on the UN panel’s accusations on individuals.
“We can’t pre-empt Justice Porter’s report. The people who have been accused by the UN panel have also appeared or reappeared before Justice Porter to check the allegations against them so we shall not touch that area till he hands over his report,†he said.
The UN panel report recommended that those implicated by the findings should face travel bans and have their personal assets frozen besides other sanctions.
The panel pointed fingers at 54 individuals and 85 multinational companies including the UPDF’s Army Commander, Maj. Gen. James Kazini, Lt-Gen (Salim) Saleh, military intelligence chief Col. Noble Mayombo and a Kampala businessman, Sam Engola.
Others on the panel’s shame list are: Col. Kahinda Otafiire, Col. Peter Kerim, the Rwanda Patriotic Army Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. James Kabarebe, the DRC minister for the presidency, Augustin Matumba Mwanke, Zimbabwe’s Parliament speaker, Emerson Mnangagwa.
Rwanda recently reacted angrily at the panel’s report.
It denied all the accusations raised in the report.
The Rwandan president was also reported to have described the Porter probe as a whitewash.
Kigali, however, later said President Kagame had been misquoted.
Rwanda has begun pulling its troops from the DRC and ties with Kinshasa are improving.
Ends
The Security Council of the United Nations has told Uganda to defend itself against allegations raised by a specially constituted UN panel that top Ugandan army brass and other well-connected officials plundered the war-torn DR Congo under the guise of fighting insecurity.
Foreign affairs minister James Wapakhabulo flies out this weekend to face the New York-based powerful 15-member nation body in charge of global security on November 5, 2002 at the 190-member United Nations Organisation’s headquarters.
Wapakhabulo said yesterday, “The (Security) Council has asked us to explain our (Uganda’s) position in the face of the allegations by the UN panel’s report. So I have to be in New York on Tuesday to present our case. I have been consulting widely and I think that invitation is very important for us.â€
Wapakhabulo, Uganda’s third deputy premier and MP for Mbale Municipality, also said, “Unlike the usual Security Council debates which are a closed affair, this debate is going to be an open one.
“Our position is that we welcome the final report in that its coverage is much wider than the first two. It acknowledges that individuals, rather than Uganda as a state and its companies, were involved.â€
The Nairobi-based UN panel released its 59-page report on October 15 and the Security Council started debating it on October 24.
Wapakhabulo said Justice Porter’s probe commission on the same matter will hand over his findings to the Government next week.
The probe’s term expires on November 15, 2002.
Wapakhabulo lashed out at the UN panel report saying, “But it is wanting in several aspects. For example, the UN panel totally ignored Uganda’s legitimate security concerns that Ugandan rebels had bases in the Congo. Once we destroyed these bases, our security especially in western Uganda, improved. We then withdrew our forces.â€
He insisted that he was not going to comment on the UN panel’s accusations on individuals.
“We can’t pre-empt Justice Porter’s report. The people who have been accused by the UN panel have also appeared or reappeared before Justice Porter to check the allegations against them so we shall not touch that area till he hands over his report,†he said.
The UN panel report recommended that those implicated by the findings should face travel bans and have their personal assets frozen besides other sanctions.
The panel pointed fingers at 54 individuals and 85 multinational companies including the UPDF’s Army Commander, Maj. Gen. James Kazini, Lt-Gen (Salim) Saleh, military intelligence chief Col. Noble Mayombo and a Kampala businessman, Sam Engola.
Others on the panel’s shame list are: Col. Kahinda Otafiire, Col. Peter Kerim, the Rwanda Patriotic Army Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. James Kabarebe, the DRC minister for the presidency, Augustin Matumba Mwanke, Zimbabwe’s Parliament speaker, Emerson Mnangagwa.
Rwanda recently reacted angrily at the panel’s report.
It denied all the accusations raised in the report.
The Rwandan president was also reported to have described the Porter probe as a whitewash.
Kigali, however, later said President Kagame had been misquoted.
Rwanda has begun pulling its troops from the DRC and ties with Kinshasa are improving.
Ends