Luanda - The draft agreement to achieve peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), presented by Angola, in its capacity as mediator, has already been 99% negotiated, the minister of Foreign Affairs, Tete António, stated on Sunday in Luanda.
He was speaking at the end of a political consultation meeting between President João Lourenço and his DRC counterpart, Félix Tshisekedi, which was also attended by the former Kenyan Head of State, Uhuru Kenyata, as facilitator of the Nairobi Roadmap.
According to the minister Téte António, after contacts with his counterparts from the DRC and Rwanda, the Angolan Head of State presented the draft agreement for the parties to negotiate and has understandings on key issues such as the disengagement of Rwandan forces and the neutralization of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
He added that the issue of the M23 group has been the subject of disagreement between the parties (DRC and Rwanda).
The Angolan official informed that the M23 issue was the only point of the draft agreement that remained to be negotiated at the ministerial meeting that took place Saturday, in the Angolan capital.
He revealed that the parties did not reach any consensus on the matter under consideration.
Téte António said that this issue is structured into three fundamental vectors, such as the treatment mechanism, the personality of the facilitator and the mission of the facilitator.
According to the minister, given this difference in views on the M23, one of the parties requested the postponement of the tripartite summit, "until there is, therefore, a common language regarding this aspect".
The minister said that based on the convergence of the facilitator's personality mechanism, President João Lourenço "had the wisdom" to hold consultations with President Tshisekedi and Uhuru Kenyatta, as facilitator, "to see how the process will go in the next few days."
Uhuru Kenyatta is the Nairobi Roadmap facilitator appointed by East African Community (EAC).
Téte António also clarified that the Nairobi process has to do with dealing with the issue related to armed groups, which are numerous in the DRC.
The Nairobi Roadmap peace negotiations process was preceded by a strong diplomatic investment by President João Lourenço, who, after sponsoring a meeting in Luanda with the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers, undertook a tour between Kigali and Kinshasa where he met Félix Tshisekedi and Paulo Kagame.
Angola, as mediator, has played a fundamental role in facilitating political and diplomatic dialogue between Rwanda and the DRC, promoting the stabilization of this volatile Great Lakes region.
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