TANZANIA: UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN URGES LEADERS OF AFRICA'S GREAT LAKES REGION TO IMPLEMENT A PEACE PLAN

Record ID: 223029

  • Title: TANZANIA: UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN URGES LEADERS OF AFRICA'S GREAT LAKES REGION TO IMPLEMENT A PEACE PLAN
  • Date: 21st November 2004
  • Summary: (W5)DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA (NOVEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. MV PRESIDENTS ARRIVE FOR THE GREAT LAKES SUMMIT 0.06 2. SLV PRESIDENTS SITTING DOWN FOR MEETING; SCU UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SEATED 0.15 3. MV ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE SEATED NEXT TO SUDANESE PRESIDENT OMAR BASHIR 0.20 4. MV PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, THABO MBEKI 0.25 5. WIDE SHOT OF THE AREA WHERE THE CONFERENCE IS TAKING PLACE; GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS LISTENING TO SPEECHES 0.35 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNAN SAYING: "What is at stake is nothing less than a new era for many millions of African men, women and children, who have been through a lot, who have buried too many relatives, who look to us not to waver in this effort. We cannot afford to have them write this process off as a theoretical exercise." 1.01 7. WIDE SHOT OF THE CONFERENCE AREA; MUGABE SHAKING HIS HEADL SLV PRESIDENTS SEATED INFRONT 1.10 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "Even relatively peaceful countries cannot remain unaffected." 1.16 (W6)DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA (NOVEMBER 19, 2004) (REUTERS) 9. SLV AUDIENCE LISTENING TO ANNAN; SCU SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI AND PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC), JOSEPH KABILA, LISTENING 1.24 10. MV ANNAN, MBEKI AND MOZAMBIQUE PRESIDENT JOAQUIM CHISSANO TALKING; RWANDAN PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME; SCU KABILA LISTENING; SLV AUDIENCE AT THE SUMMIT 1.40 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 6th December 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
  • Country: Tanzania
  • Reuters ID: LVA797W3CNSXGLSVSRUXMKFU522S
  • Story Text: U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan urged leaders of
    Africa's Great Lakes region to implement a peace plan that
    could herald a "new era" for millions of Africans.

    Speaking on Friday (November 19, 2004) at the start of
    a two-day summit called to approve a peace framework for the
    volatile area that includes Rwanda, Burundi and the
    Democratic Republic of Congo, Annan said leaders' actions
    would speak louder than words.

    "What is at stake is nothing less than a new era for
    many millions of African men, women and children, who have
    been through a lot, who have buried too many relatives, who
    look to us not to waver in this effort," Annan told at
    least 13 heads of state gathered in Tanzania's commercial
    capital. "We cannot afford to have them write this process
    off as a theoretical exercise."
    Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who was among the
    African countries which sent troops into the Congo conflict,
    was also present, as was South Africa's President Thabo
    Mbeki.

    Other heads of state at the conference included leaders
    from the Central African Republic, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania,
    Uganda and Zambia. Under a declaration approved by regional
    foreign ministers on Thursday and due to be adopted at the Dar es
    Salaam summit, Great Lakes leaders are expected to pledge
    themselves to greater cross-border co-operation and
    confidence-building.

    The document also calls for moves to disarm rebel
    groups and build regional security structures, a first step
    towards ending a violent decade across the region that saw
    3 million people die in war and genocide and from hunger
    and illness linked to political chaos.

    Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, whose country has
    been among those hit by an influx of refugees, said leaders
    must now accept their neighbours had a right to intervene
    in situations such as Rwanda, where 800,000 people died in
    the 1994 genocide.

    Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan were already
    embroiled in civil wars in the early 1990s, but violence
    escalated after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, when 800,000
    Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by extremist
    Hutus in a 100-day killing spree.

    Conflict spread after peace was restored in Rwanda when
    millions of refugees fled into neighbouring Burundi and the
    Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rwanda has invaded the
    DRC twice, ostensibly to hunt down Hutu rebels who fled
    after the genocide.

    The Dar es Salaam summit, 10 years in the making, comes
    as transitional governments in Burundi and the DRC struggle
    with fragile peace deals and to lead their countries to
    2005 elections. Meanwhile, Uganda and Sudan are trying to
    end internal conflicts of 18 and 22 years, respectively.


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