92003E2134

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2134/03

by Margrietus van den Berg (PSE) to the Council

(26 June 2003)

Subject: Deployment of an EU force in Congo

Endorsing the Council's decision of 5 June 2003 concerning Congo, a number of international organisations have pointed out that the mandate is too limited (geographically) and too short (expiring on 1 September).

Will the Council draw the attention of the United Nations Secretary-General and the Security Council to the desirability of a fresh mandate in respect of these two points?

Reply

(13 October 2003)

The UNSC in its Resolution 1484 (2003) authorised the deployment until 1 September 2003 of an Interim Emergency Multinational Force in Bunia. It was stressed that this force is to be deployed on a strictly

temporary basis to allow the UNSG to reinforce the presence of the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in Bunia. Answering to this call from the UNSC, the Council of the EU on 5 June 2003 decided to conduct a EU military operation in the DRC, named Artemis, in accordance with the mandate set out in UNSCR 1484(2003).

The mandate, limited geographically and in time, is thus designed to stabilise the situation in Bunia until the UNSG can deploy a reinforced UN presence to Bunia by mid-August 2003. The discussion of such a deployment of a reinforced MONUC, both in terms of manpower and mandate, is taking place in the UNSC for the moment with the active support of EU Member States sitting in the SC. MONUC's mandate already covers the whole of the DRC.