Regional presidents support DR Congo's peace agreement

The presidents of Rwanda, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) met on Sunday to discuss the security situation that is prevailing in the Great Lakes region.The meeting which was held at Oyo in Cuvette department of northern Republic of Congo, discussed mainly the situation in eastern DR Congo which remains under the threat of the M23 rebels.The final communique that was released after the 5 hours closed door meeting indicated that the "presidents had reaffirmed that the agreements that had been signed on February 24 in Addis Ababa should constitute the essential basis for the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Eastern DR Congo and they reiterated that they will favour the implementation of what was envisaged in the agreement."The Rwandan President Paul Kagame was the first to arrive in the Republic of Congo, followed by Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and later the DR Congo President Joseph Kabila. They were all welcomed by the Congolese President Denis Sassou N'Guesso at Ollombo airport in Oyo.The meeting which was summoned by Sassou N'Guesso, was meant to discuss the implementation of the DR Congo peace, security and cooperation agreement that was signed on February 24 in Addis Ababa.The Addis Ababa agreement called on the international community, and more specifically the neighbouring states to individually contribute towards promotion of peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo.At the same time, the four leaders expressed their concerns over the recent developments in the Central African Republic, and urged the actors in the country to exercise restraint while respecting the lives and dignity of the Central African Republic's citizens as well as foreigners in the country.