DRC elections went well - Mbeki
2006-07-30 19:08
Pretoria - The election campaigns in the Democratic Republic of Congo had gone very well and the South African government was looking forward to the outcome of the polls in that country, President Thabo Mbeki said on Sunday.
Briefing the media in Pretoria after a three-day cabinet lekgotla, he acknowledged people had been killed in the run-up to the election.
"We believe that the election campaign has gone very well. It is true that some people were killed... [but] I've been saying that the number of people who were killed in this country ahead of the 1994 elections was much, much more than has happened in the Congo.
"This suggests to us that the elections that are taking place today will result in the proper reflection of the will of the people of the [DRC]," Mbeki said.
A "large contingent" of South Africans was helping with the DRC election, including staffing the IT centres where the results were counted, he said.
Ivory Coast, Sudan
On Ivory Coast, Mbeki said good progress was being made towards what he called "two critical elements" in that country.
These were disarmament and the registration and identification of citizens and residents.
On Sudan, Mbeki said agreement had been reached with that country's government to hold regular talks and increase co-operation.
- SAPA