International meeting in Geneva to assess the security situation in eastern Congo and reaffirm peace with Rwanda

Washington, July 17 (KUNA) -- The Swiss city of Geneva hosted on Wednesday and Thursday, July 15 and 16, the fifth meeting of the joint security coordination mechanism of the peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, which was reached last year in Washington under joint US-Qatari mediation. This was stated in a joint statement issued late Thursday by the governments of the United States, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Rwanda, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Togo (in its capacity as mediator for the African Union), and the African Union Commission. The statement noted that the parties “evaluated during the meeting the security environment in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and worked toward a shared understanding of the conditions on the ground, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda reaffirmed their commitment to the swift implementation of the Washington peace agreements.” The joint statement further clarified that, in order to enhance transparency and accountability in this process, the parties agreed to explore potential verification mechanisms to facilitate the implementation of the Washington agreements. The presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington on December 4 last year, under US-Qatari sponsorship, to end the conflict that erupted between the two countries three decades ago. (End) A.S.J. / R.J.