President Jacob Zuma has described as fruitful the Extra Ordinary Summit of the International Conference on Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) which he attended in Luanda, in the Republic of Angola.
President Zuma returned to South Africa yesterday. He said the summit provided direction with regards to solving the immediate challenges of peace and stability in some parts of the Great Lakes region.
President Zuma attended the Summit at the invitation of his Angolan counterpart His Excellency President Eduardo Dos Santos who serves as the Chairperson of the ICGLR. South Africa has an observer status at the ICGLR.
Leaders at the Summit discussed thoroughly the security situation in countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of South Sudan as well as issues of terrorism.
With regard to the current security situation in Burundi, President Zuma said the Summit strongly condemned the attempted coup d'état that occurred last week.
"The summit further agreed that the postponement of elections should not have a timeframe as there was unrest in the country and the elections should be postponed indefinitely until there's stability, which would allow the elections to be free and fair."
"We have also agreed that a delegation of Heads of State from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa will visit Burundi in the shortest possible time to evaluate the situation and contribute to the peaceful resolution of the current situation,” the President said.
The Summit further called on all parties in Burundi to expeditiously work towards the restoration of peace and stability.
Regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Summit encouraged the government to neutralize the FDLR and other negative forces in the Eastern DRC.
The Summit has also agreed to convene a joint ICGLR/ECCAS Summit on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) and urged stakeholders in CAR to expedite the national reconciliation process in view of the forthcoming elections in the country.
The President was accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
Enquiries:
Clayson Monyela
Cell: 082 884 5974 or
Harold Maloka
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E-mail: Maloka.harold@gmail.com or Harold@presidency.gov.za
