United Nations Radio

Ross Mountain

INTRO: Ross Mountain, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is stepping down from his position. Speaking to UN journalists on Thursday, he gave his impressions of the DRC and the UN mission after spending some five years there:

Narrator: As MONUC, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, approaches its 10th anniversary, Mr. Mountain recalled that eight years ago, the conflict in the DRC was referred to as "Africa's world war". The country is not without its share of problems. Seventy percent of the people live below the poverty line. Fifteen hundred Congolese die every day from preventable diseases, dirty water and the like, as well as the conflict still going on there. In spite of all this, Mr. Mountain says we should not be discouraged:

Mountain: When one is confronted by the inevitable question, which is "Is it worthwhile doing? Have we contributed to the process of improvement in that country?" After having been there myself five years, I think it's perhaps salutary to offer a word of hope.

Narrator: The reason he is optimistic, he says, is because despite all the problems, the United Nations system has contributed to progress:

Mountain: We've had national and provincial elections. We are heading towards local elections. There are programmes with international donors and now a sovereign elected government in different parts of the country to try and stabilize it which would allow MONUC to leave. Humanitarian assistance has grown to the level - alas it's been needed to the level - of about 600 million dollars a year. We reached 19 million Congolese in need last year, for example.

Narrator: Still, says the country's Humanitarian Coordinator, there's a long way to go before the people of the Congo can live a peaceful and prosperous life:

Mountain: And those that voted didn't vote just in a beauty contest. They voted for a better life. And it's been very slow in coming and realizing the benefits of a peace process.

Narrator: He notes, for example, that resources allocated to the mission are less than those given to the smaller Kosovo operation:

Mountain: We are now moving up from the 17 thousand troops that we've had over the last few years to hopefully getting the balance of the 3000 voted over a year ago. That would bring us to 20 thousand. NATO had well over 40 thousand in Kosovo. Kosovo has ten thousand square kilometers. Congo is 2.4 million square kilometres.

Narrator: He also mentions that no country wants to be dependent upon aid indefinitely.

Mountain: The country has not seen the progress it needs to make in fiscal reform. Corruption is a major scourge. It is a country that is enormously rich and the population is dreadfully poor. That has to be adjusted. And the conflict does continue in the East.

Narration: Ross Mountain, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is stepping down today. Reporting for UN Radio, this is Gerry Adams.

Duration: 2'51"