Kinshasa, 5 October 2013 - A delegation of the UN Security Council arrived in Kinshasa on 4 October for a three-day visit, aiming to reiterate the Council's support for the peace process, especially for the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in the D. R. Congo, Martin Kobler, who joined the delegation, said the members of the Security Council received a warm welcome by the country's authorities. In Kinshasa, following their visit to the closing ceremony of the National Dialogue initiated two weeks ago, Mr. Kobler wrote on his Twitter account last Saturday: "Round of applause for the UN Security Council delegation in the DRC at the closing ceremony of the National Dialogue."

The delegation had also several bilateral meetings with the country's highest authorities, including President Joseph Kabila, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the National Assembly. The discussions were around national reforms, national and regional benchmarks vis-à-vis the Framework Agreement signed in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013, and the Kampala talks with the M23 rebel movement.

On Sunday, the delegation travelled to Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu in eastern D.R. Congo. While there, they met with civil society representatives, paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of the province, and went to Mugunga IDP camp just outside Goma. They, then, travelled to Kigali, Rwanda, to meet with President Paul Kagame, and then to Uganda where they had exchanges with President Yoweri Museveni. The last leg of their trip will take them to Addis Ababa, where other meetings are scheduled with the country's authorities as well as with Representatives of the African Union, which is headquartered in the Ethiopian capital.

Penangnini Toure/MONUSCO