Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 14:53:00 +0100 (MET)
Subject: M-G: Congo: From "solidaire", PTB, Belgium, 19.03


The latest issue of French-language weekly "solidaire"
published by the Partie du Travaille de Belgique (PTB),
homepage in English <http://www.wpb.be>, e-mail address
<solidaire-AT-ptb.be> - a party against which I i.a. have the
objection that it says China today is "socialist" but whose
standpoint on Congo/Zaire to me seems quite good and
obviously is based on some first-hand information - has two
articles on this subject on its p. 12 (19.03.97): "Kisangani
liberated" and "'Send aid to the liberated territories' - A
delegation returning from eastern Zaire calls on the Belgian
government", both by Tony Busselen. Here are some excerpts in
translation:


(First article:)

"In the neighbouring [to Kisangani] province of Kasai, the
population's enmity towards Mobutu's regime is very strong.
Militarily, the base of Kamina [was an important airbase in
the conflict in 1960] and the city of Mbuyi Mai are the
important places. It's there that Mobutu's army and the
mercenaries are supposed to be concentrated."

"Moreels, the [Belgian] Minister of Co-operation, [earlier]
visting Kisangani, pronounced himself in favour of an air
bridge in order to break the siege of the city....Also, he
made a very much contested statement evoking a supposed
'genocide against the hutus' perpetrated by the rebels in
eastern Zaire...A commentator in the Dutch 'Volkskrant'
[05.03] noted with indignation: 'Geo-political interests...
How dares Moreels? It was because of geo-political interests
that Belgium and France supported the Rwandan hutus,
including the murderers. The dictator Mobutu and his army
which rapes and pillages enjoys their full confidence too.'"


(Second article:)

"We are publishing below extracts from a mission of
Belgian non-governmenmtal organizations (NGOs) to Kivu,
in the eastern Zaire liberated by Kabila's Alliance. The
mission was led by Pierre Galand. Its members are calling
on the Belgian government not to engage in useless
sanctions against the civilian population by a masked
embargo. They ask it to support the Belgian NGOs which
want to disseminate aid in the liberated territories,
in co-operation with the new authorities."

"It is not to late to do the right thing. The minister
Pronk visited Goma on 8 March 1997. He met with the
Alliance's president, Mr. Kabila. African personages, and
not the most unimportant among them, have stated their
direct support for the Alliance: Mandela, Mugabe, Dos
Santos, Nyerere. German Protestant churches have sent
an initial two aircraft with medical aid to the civilian
population of Kivu. The airport at Goma functions."

"We appeal to the Belgian government urgently to consider
the fact that the Belgian NGOs Oxfam, Cemubac, Solidarité
Socialiste, Médicine pour le Tiers Monde [Medicine for the
Third World] are engaging in giving immediate help to the
population in Kivu...We appeal to the Belgian government to
release immediately the funds provided for in the budget
for medical aid to Zaire, which should go to Kivu, reserving
such aid entirely for the territory controlled by the
Alliance...."


[So far the extracts from "solidaire"]

Rolf M.



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