EU Presidency Statement - Situation in the Central African Republic

Mr. President,

I have the honor to take the floor on behalf of the European Union (EU).

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) and the associated countries of Cyprus, Malta and Turkey align themselves with this statement.

Mr. President,

The EU welcomes the attention being paid by the Security Council to the current situation in the Central African Republic (CAR). The international community must maintain its focus on this country, which lies in the heart of Central Africa and is beset by numerous political, economic, social and security problems. The Secretary-General's report which the Secretary-General's Representative Mr. Cissé has just presented contains some interesting ideas and specific recommendations to help the CAR overcome those problems.

Like the other countries of Central Africa, the CAR is not spared from the transnational scourges that have afflicted the region for several years. One of the effects of the conflicts in neighboring countries is the proliferation of small arms, which fuels insecurity and banditry. Today, the CAR is host to thousands of refugees from many countries, while thousands of its citizens have fled to Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As the Secretary-General indicated, the fact that the crisis in the DRC and the situation in the CAR are closely interlinked is particularly worrying. The international community must establish a global strategy to address the numerous interconnected regional problems.

Mr. President,

The international community must continue its efforts to assist the CAR. Multidimensional assistance programmes, both bilateral and multilateral, are needed. The international community made a vital contribution towards stabilizing the country and restoring law and order after the 1996 and 1997 mutinies, first by setting up an inter-African mission, MISAB, and then by means of a UN peace-keeping mission, MINURCA, both hailed as successes. The United Nations cannot now fail in consolidating the peace. The UN Peace-building support office (BONUCA) has a central role to play in this effort, as have a number of players, foremost among whom are the President and the Government of the CAR, democratically elected following the legislative and presidential elections prepared and held under the aegis of the United Nations.

The EU attaches particular importance to the achievement of genuine national reconciliation and supports BONUCA's efforts to intensify political dialogue. The absence of a true dialogue generates tensions that can rapidly produce explosive situations, as was the case last May. The EU unconditionally condemned the attempted coup, and asked the parties to commit themselves to political dialogue and respect the constitutional order, the rule of law and human rights. Another aspect of national reconciliation is peaceful understanding between the various components of society. The Central African Government must take every measure within its power to bring an end to all acts of violence inspired by ethnic hatred.

Mr. President,

The EU is prepared to continue to provide assistance to the CAR. Following the crisis last May, the EU provided immediate financial support of 1 million euros to cover the food and health requirements for 6 months of around 80 000 displaced citizens of Bangui and to help them to return and resettle in their areas of origin.

The EU also provided 11.5 million euros in the form of budgetary support. It is currently discussing with the Central African authorities and in close coordination with the international financial institutions the arrangements for a second payment. That should be dependent on compliance with the undertakings to implement macro-economic reforms, particularly the sound management of public finance, as agreed by the CAR with the Bretton Woods institutions.

In the medium term, the EU is in discussion with the CAR to devise jointly a support strategy to include continued support for the economic reform programme, taking into account in particular social sectors such as health and education. In this respect we call on the Government of the CAR to submit detailed and realistic projects to its development aid partners.

In conclusion, Mr. President, the EU supports BONUCA's activities and those of Special Representative Cissé. We hope that the reinforcement of BONUCA as proposed in the Secretary-General's report will help to accelerate the process of economic and political recovery in the CAR.

Thank you, Mr. President.

| Arriba |

• EU Presidency Statement - Development of Africa (5/11/2001)
• Africa-Europe Ministerial Conference (17/10/2001)
• EU Presidency Statement - The situation in the DRC (30/8/2001)
• EU Presidency Statement - Peace and sustainable development in Africa  (31/7/2001)