For Immediate Release
Contact: Deanna Congileo, 404-420-5108
Â鶹´«Ã½ welcomes the decision of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to release the final report of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on the Revisitation of Mining Contracts and the decision to name a Task Force with political responsibility for the review. (The text of the report is available at ). The government's publication of the contracts themselves in June 2007 was an early signal of its commitment to transparency. These new steps, recommended to the government by the Center on March 10, 2008, (http://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/drc_031008.html) also are reassuring.
Regrettably, some press report have mischaracterized this step as a cancellation of mining contracts, but the Congolese government has clearly stated that the Commission report should not be treated as the last word – or the official government position – on the contracts. The Commission report should be considered together with other studies of the contracts, including those commissioned by the World Bank and by Â鶹´«Ã½.
While the Â鶹´«Ã½ commends the government for establishing the basis for a sound process of resolving the problems in the contracts, it should now announce clear criteria for the next phase. It will be important to ensure that competent experts and secure funding is available for the process and that the views of Congolese Civil Society are taken into account. Â鶹´«Ã½ calls on the diplomatic community and multilateral organizations to assist in this process. The Center also calls on companies to support the process and to avoid any effort to secure accommodation outside of the agreed procedures.
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10 March 2008: Â鶹´«Ã½ Urges International Community to Support Congo Mining Review Efforts >
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