SOUTH AFRICA: CONGOLESE PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA PROMISES ELECTIONS AND SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH SOUTH AFRICA AND SWEDEN IN PRETORIA.

Record ID: 443042

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: CONGOLESE PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA PROMISES ELECTIONS AND SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH SOUTH AFRICA AND SWEDEN IN PRETORIA.
  • Date: 29th April 2005
  • Summary: (BN01) (PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA), (APRIL 29, 2005), (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS: MINISTERS AND DELEGATES ARRIVING FOR THE SIGNING CEREMONY. (2 SHOTS) 0.15 2. TRACK: SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI AND CONGOLESE PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA WALKING INTO THE PLENARY. 0.30 3. VARIOUS: MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATIONS SEATED. (4 SHOTS) 0.40 4. CU: SWEDISH AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH AFRICA DR. HELENA NILSSON SEATED. 0.45 5. SCU: SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE MINISTER SEATED. 0.47 6. SCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) CONGOLESE PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA SAYING: "Currently what is going on in Kinshasa, and in the month of June, it will be across the country is the voter registration. So, we will start voter registration between now and the month of June, or before the 30th of June. So as far as the elections are concerned, we are on track and elections will definitely be organised. Let me remind you that the organisation of elections is more or less the final act in as far as the agreement that we signed here in South Africa is concerned, and that is the determination of the whole government, myself and of-course the people of the Congo." 1.38 7. SCU: MINISTERS SEATED. (2 SHOTS) 1.44 8. SCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI SAYING: "One of the things that I have noticed, there's reduced international reporting about the DRC, and the reason there's reduced reporting about the DRC is because they can't find enough negatives to report about. If the situation was in crisis, it would be headlines over in the Congo every day. So in this case we should say no news is good news. But really we have been very, very pleased Mr President, being aware of the challenges that you have faced in terms of taking the country forward. We are very pleased indeed and very inspired by the progress that has been archived." . 2.31 9. VARIOUS: OF MINISTERS FROM THE TWO COUNTRIES SIGNING CO-OPERATION AGREEMENTS. 8 SHOTS) 3.26 10. MV: PRESIDENT KABILA CLAPPING HANDS AS VARIOUS MINISTERS EXCHANGE AGREEMENTS. 3.31 11. SCU: MORE OF THE DELEGATION SEATED. 3.35 12. TRACK: PRESIDENT MBEKI AND PRESIDENT KABILA LEAVING THE PLENARY HALL. 3.58 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 14th May 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: LVA36PI0Q0HEANL5TDT1ZNL5MB9
  • Story Text: Congo's Kabila says preparing to hold poll on time.



    Congolese President Joseph Kabila said his country
    was preparing to hold elections on schedule by the end of
    June, but added he had to be certain the poll would be free
    and transparent.

    Kabila however would not commit to a date for elections
    in his country, but stressed that everything was on track.

    He was addressing reporters at the conclusion of a
    binational commission meeting he chaired with President
    Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria.

    Elections in Democratic Republic of Congo are due by
    the end of June but experts expect a delay of at least a
    few months as the power-sharing government, set up after
    the end of the war in 2003, has failed to get preparations
    under way on time.

    Kabila warned against foreign meddling in the run-up to
    the elections, which would be Congo's first democratic poll
    since independence in 1960.

    Some of the agreements that were signed included,
    Memorandum of Understanding between the government of the
    DRC and the government of Sweden and the government of
    South Africa on Co-operation in the area of Public Service
    and Administration, the Memorandum of Understanding between
    the government of the Republic of South Africa and the
    government of the Democratic Republic of Congo relating to
    to Co-operation on Capacity building for the Congolese
    National Police.

    Democratic Republic of Congo's five-year war killed around
    4 million people, mainly from hunger and disease. Despite
    the peace deal, armed bands still wreak havoc in the east,
    killing civilians, looting and calling any elections into
    question.
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