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The africa input.BIYONCE
FROM THE STATE HOUSE:REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE REGIONAL OVERSIGHT MECHANISM OF THE PEACE, SECURITY AND COOPERATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE DRC AND THE REGION, 26TH MAY, 2013, ADDIS ABABA

 President Jakaya Kikwete
--

Excellencies, Heads of States and Government;
Your Excellency Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General;
Your Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission;  
Executive Secretaries of SADC and ICGLR;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I
 thank you Mr. Secretary General and Madam Chairperson for convening 
this first meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, 
Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and Region we signed on 
February 24th, 2013. 
 Tanzania welcomes your joint efforts which will go a long way 
towards ensuring that the objectives of the Framework are implemented to
 the letter and spirit.
I
 commend you Secretary General, Ban Ki-moonfor appointing Mrs. Mary 
Robinson to be your Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region.  This is a
 clear testimony of the seriousness that you and the UN attach to 
attainment of peace and stability in theDRC and the Great Lakes Region.  
 I have no doubt in my mind that she will add value to the efforts being
 deployed to find durable peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  I pray that she will use her long experience and renowned diplomatic 
skills to enable the people of the DRC and the Great Lakes 
Region realise their long standing dream of a peaceful and stable 
country and the region.  I assure Madam Robinson my personal commitment 
as well as my Government’s readiness to work with her in fulfilling her 
mandate.    
Excellencies;
We
 all know that the Framework we signed in February this year (2013) 
provides another importantmilestone in the search for durable peace in 
the DRC and her neighbours and the region at large.  The launching of 
the Regional Oversight Mechanism, the establishment of the Technical 
Support Committee and the creation by the UNSC of the Force Intervention
 Brigade under MONUSCO are important milestones in these endeavours.  I 
amconfident, all these measures will go a long way towards bringing 
about lasting peace in Eastern DRC.  But, the success of these efforts 
will depend on the genuine commitment and readiness of the parties to 
see peace reign if they have at heart the belief and desire for peaceful
 solutions to this long standing conflict which has infected great 
misery and suffering to millions of innocent people.  Unfortunately, it 
is the women, children and innocent civilians who suffer the most.  
Excellencies;
It
 is evident that the barrel of the gun cannot bethe ultimate answer as 
testified by the recurrence of fighting.  We must deploy serious efforts
 towards bringing the parties to the negotiating table.  Only the 
negotiating table will deliver on the demands of all the conflicting 
parties.  I am hoping that thisMechanism will deploy serious efforts 
towards initiating comprehensive negotiations.  First, let the 
Regional Oversight Mechanism be a catalyst for completion of the 
ongoing peace talks in Kampalabetween the M23 and the government 
of the DRC.  If these talks are concluded successfully and implemented 
to the letter and spirit, the first visible manifestation of the 
conflict will have laid to rest.  But, there are other players, the FDLR
 and the ADF who should also be engaged and find a peaceful way of 
making them stop their negative activities against their countries of 
origin.  
I
 am of the view that the enlargement of MONUSCO and the deployment 
of Intervention Brigade to play a dissuading role will not end the war. 
 Ultimately, and comprehensive and lasting peace will be realised at the
 negotiating table.  Let us give serious attention to peace talks.  Let 
the Mechanism support the process in Kampala.  Time has come to reach 
out to FDLR, ADF and other negative forces with the view to ending the 
circle of violence.
I also welcome
 the establishment of a Technical Support Committee to develop 
benchmarks and ensure day – to – day monitoring and reporting on the 
implementation of the Framework.  The activities of these 
processes should be well coordinated to create a synergy and energy that
 will push the peace agenda of the region to fruition.  
Excellencies;
Once
 again, I commend the UN Secretary General and the AU Chairperson 
for supporting theregional Oversight Mechanism and the Technical Support
 Committee to be established.  I sincerely hope that these two 
structures will be fully supportedby the region and international 
stakeholders.  I am confident that through our commitment and support 
the pursuit of peace negotiations in the DRC, herneighbours and the 
region will attain the much sought and elusive commodity: namely, peace 
on its hands.  It can be done.  Let us play our part. 
Thank you for your attention.

 President Jakaya Kikwete
--

Excellencies, Heads of States and Government;
Your Excellency Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General;
Your Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission;  
Executive Secretaries of SADC and ICGLR;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I
 thank you Mr. Secretary General and Madam Chairperson for convening 
this first meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, 
Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and Region we signed on 
February 24th, 2013. 
 Tanzania welcomes your joint efforts which will go a long way 
towards ensuring that the objectives of the Framework are implemented to
 the letter and spirit.
I
 commend you Secretary General, Ban Ki-moonfor appointing Mrs. Mary 
Robinson to be your Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region.  This is a
 clear testimony of the seriousness that you and the UN attach to 
attainment of peace and stability in theDRC and the Great Lakes Region.  
 I have no doubt in my mind that she will add value to the efforts being
 deployed to find durable peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  I pray that she will use her long experience and renowned diplomatic 
skills to enable the people of the DRC and the Great Lakes 
Region realise their long standing dream of a peaceful and stable 
country and the region.  I assure Madam Robinson my personal commitment 
as well as my Government’s readiness to work with her in fulfilling her 
mandate.    
Excellencies;
We
 all know that the Framework we signed in February this year (2013) 
provides another importantmilestone in the search for durable peace in 
the DRC and her neighbours and the region at large.  The launching of 
the Regional Oversight Mechanism, the establishment of the Technical 
Support Committee and the creation by the UNSC of the Force Intervention
 Brigade under MONUSCO are important milestones in these endeavours.  I 
amconfident, all these measures will go a long way towards bringing 
about lasting peace in Eastern DRC.  But, the success of these efforts 
will depend on the genuine commitment and readiness of the parties to 
see peace reign if they have at heart the belief and desire for peaceful
 solutions to this long standing conflict which has infected great 
misery and suffering to millions of innocent people.  Unfortunately, it 
is the women, children and innocent civilians who suffer the most.  
Excellencies;
It
 is evident that the barrel of the gun cannot bethe ultimate answer as 
testified by the recurrence of fighting.  We must deploy serious efforts
 towards bringing the parties to the negotiating table.  Only the 
negotiating table will deliver on the demands of all the conflicting 
parties.  I am hoping that thisMechanism will deploy serious efforts 
towards initiating comprehensive negotiations.  First, let the 
Regional Oversight Mechanism be a catalyst for completion of the 
ongoing peace talks in Kampalabetween the M23 and the government 
of the DRC.  If these talks are concluded successfully and implemented 
to the letter and spirit, the first visible manifestation of the 
conflict will have laid to rest.  But, there are other players, the FDLR
 and the ADF who should also be engaged and find a peaceful way of 
making them stop their negative activities against their countries of 
origin.  
I
 am of the view that the enlargement of MONUSCO and the deployment 
of Intervention Brigade to play a dissuading role will not end the war. 
 Ultimately, and comprehensive and lasting peace will be realised at the
 negotiating table.  Let us give serious attention to peace talks.  Let 
the Mechanism support the process in Kampala.  Time has come to reach 
out to FDLR, ADF and other negative forces with the view to ending the 
circle of violence.
I also welcome
 the establishment of a Technical Support Committee to develop 
benchmarks and ensure day – to – day monitoring and reporting on the 
implementation of the Framework.  The activities of these 
processes should be well coordinated to create a synergy and energy that
 will push the peace agenda of the region to fruition.  
Excellencies;
Once
 again, I commend the UN Secretary General and the AU Chairperson 
for supporting theregional Oversight Mechanism and the Technical Support
 Committee to be established.  I sincerely hope that these two 
structures will be fully supportedby the region and international 
stakeholders.  I am confident that through our commitment and support 
the pursuit of peace negotiations in the DRC, herneighbours and the 
region will attain the much sought and elusive commodity: namely, peace 
on its hands.  It can be done.  Let us play our part. 
Thank you for your attention.