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THE MONTREAL CONFERENCE FOR PEACE IN CONGO-KINSHASA: STATEMENT OFPRINCIPLES AND PLAN OF ACTION

Wed, 3 Feb 1999 15:40:50 퍝 (MET)

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STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AND PLAN OF ACTION

The Montreal Conference on Durable Peace and Democratic Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo took place January 29 and 30, 1999 under the auspices of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, and in collaboration with the following Congolese organizations in Canada:
Collective of Solidarity for Democracy in Congo-Kinshasa (CSD-CK), Forum Baraza La Kivu, la maison Lukula, Safari maison interculturelle, and Axe-Quebec-Canada -Afrique, as well as Rally for a New Society (RNS), African Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Congo/Kinshasa (ASADHO), CNONGD, Comite Droits de l'homme Maintenant, and the Coordination of Civil Society in Congo.

The Montreal Conference falls within the framework of an international campaign to bring about peace in Congo that began with the November 1998 civil society meetings held in Kinshasa and Morat, Switzerland, and the January 1999 meeting in Antwerp, Belgium.
This conference is also a part of the initiatives of several African states, the SADC, the OAU, the European Union and the UN to bring about peace and stability in the DRC and the surrounding region.

The Conference's objectives were:

• To enhance the contribution and participation of internal and external civil society and non-violent democratic forces to the peace negotiation process, and to achieving respect for human rights and democratic development in Congo;
• To provide an opportunity for a frank and constructive dialogue between representatives of internal and external civil society, non-violent political parties, the Congolese government and armed opposition groups, toward durable peace and the revival of the democratic process in the DRC and the Great Lakes Region.
• To sensitize in particular the Government and the people of Canada to the dramatic situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The participants regret the absence of representatives of the Congolese government and the rebel forces (RCD) from this peace-promoting initiative, despite the efforts by the conference organizers, and invite them to participate in this continuing process to bring about a quick end to the state of war that is affecting the population in general and vulnerable groups in particular including women and children and to revive the democratic development process.

The participants regret also the absence of the leaders of political parties forming the democratic forces within the DRC who have been prevented until now, by the restrictive measures and obstruction of the Congolese government, to move freely and leave the country to attend personally this initiative for peace and search for political consensus.

The participants owe a debt of gratitude to the Canadian government and people for their generous hospitality, and call on them to continue supporting the Congolese people's efforts to bring about durable peace and democratic development and as host, to assist particularly in the implementation of the resolutions of the Montreal Conference.

The participants in the Montreal Conference addressed in workshops the following themes:

• Cease-fire and peacekeeping, deployment of peacekeeping forces; - Preliminary conditions for the creation of a democratic space; - Transitory democratic institutions and the conditions for their establishment;
• Permanent democratic institutions for the new republic.

• Cessation of hostilities and a negotiated cease-fire; - Withdrawal of all foreign troops currently deployed in Congo following the negotiated cease-fire agreement;
• Deployment of a peace-keeping force;
• Internal dialogue and implementation of a mediation committee; - Formation of a government and parliament with a broader political base; - Self -determination and the capacity of the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo inside and outside the country to choose their own political leaders through peaceful, democratic means;
• The need for an inclusive political roundtable process with international guarantees as the most appropriate means of reviving the process of transition towards stable democratic institutions in the Democratic Republic of Congo;
• Respect for international human rights and humanitarian law conventions and the need to bring to justice alleged perpetrators of massive violations under these conventions;
• Need to demobilize child soldiers;
• Consensus as a means of political dialogue.
• Ceasing political power by force or arms is illegal and non-legitimate

1. Inclusion of democratic forces and civil society at the negotiating table during upcoming talks between the Congolese government and the rebel forces.

2. Liberation of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience and non -restrictive liberalization of political party activities. A national commission was proposed to bring the resolutions of the Sovereign National Conference (CNS) up to date in the form of a national charter of democratization.

3. Convocation of an internal dialogue Forum or Roundtable. This forum or roundtable will have to take place in a country other than the Democratic Republic of Congo under safe conditions. A truth commission on economic and war crimes and massive violations of human rights will also need to be established.

4. A political will to bring about a quick end to the war. A political agreement will be required to back the negotiations of the Forum or Roundtable. The participants recommended that political and social forces play a role in implementing the agreement.

5. Deployment of an international peacekeeping force of approximately 12,000 troops and implementation of an international observer mission to supervise the withdrawal of foreign troops, to oversee the process of establishing a national republican army and democratic institutions.

6. Use of a legal framework called a transitional constitution to govern the transitional period to be negotiated during the Forum or Roundtable .

7. Establishment by the Forum or Roundtable of a constitutional commission responsible for adapting the draft constitution of the CNS in the light of developments in the Congolese political situation since the end of that conference.

8. Involvement of the population in the building of a durable peace and the revival of the democratic development process through general assemblies at the commune level.

9. Establishment of a follow-up committee for implementation of the plan of action stemming from this Montreal conference. The participants put forward two arenas of lobbying and political pressure both inside and outside the country:
   Inside the country, continue the campaign of civil society and pursue a full -scale revitalization of the political parties in order to achieve peace and democratic renewal.
   Outside the country, pursue lobbying efforts and an education and sensitization campaign aimed at governments and international institutions. Pursue a full-scale revitalization of Congolese groups outside the country working for peace and a revival of the democratic process.

• February 16 to June 30, 1999: Promote peaceful actions leading to the conclusion of the work of the internal dialogue Forum or Roundtable. Support internal mediation initiatives already in progress.

The participants draw the attention of the international community to the massacres of civilians and other massive human rights violations in this war, in both the eastern and western parts of the country as well as to the misery of the civilian population who are victims of this useless war.

Adopted in Montreal, January 30, 1999

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