Fellow Citizens and members of the International Community:
The notion that Yoweri Museveni's Parliament should somehow prevail over Yoweri Museveni's NRM Military dictatorship to ensure that no UPDF soldiers quote " Interferee with DRC's resources and or DRC Politics" as the Germans are demanding, simply does not wash.
The Germans ought to realise that Yoweri Museveni's so called Members of Parliament are pretty much powerless when it comes to controlling Museveni and his UPDF Army...or telling him what to do .
It will be noted that Yoweri Museveni did not as much as seek approval (consultation if you want, from the so called Uganda Parliament before deploying UPDF troops in DRC Congo.
The Germans must be out of their mind if they somehow think that the Ugandan Parliament does still have some clout in controlling Museveni and his policy of militarism in the Great Lakes Region.
The fact is Museveni does what ever he wants to do. ..and by the way he is pretty good at covering his "tracks" so to say.. So much so that Members of the international community cannot really tell what Museveni has been up too. That is the Reality!
Matek
New Vision (Kampala)
July 11, 2003
Posted to the web July 11, 2003
Milton Olupot
Kampala
VISITING German MPs have petitioned the Ugandan Parliament to prevail over the Government and ensure that the UPDF or individuals in the army do not interfere with the DR Congo resources and its politics.
The MPs yesterday met the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, at the parliamentary buildings in Kampala. They also expressed concern over the war that has ravaged the northern part of Uganda.
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Dr. Friedbert Pflugert and Dr. Christian Ruck earlier visited Rwanda where they met Rwandese President Paul Kagame. They are scheduled to go to the DRC, where they will meet members of the coalition government. They were flanked by their deputy head of mission here Holger Seubert.
Friedbert said he was concerned that there is still interference and support to the rebel militias in the DRC from Uganda and Rwanda, but Ssekandi said Uganda had pulled all its troops back.
He said if there was any interference, it could be from individuals but that he was not aware of it.
"There is evidence that militia groups were created in the DRC, and with direct or indirect support from Uganda and Rwanda there will never be peace and stability. It is the responsibility of your parliament to work out ways to restrain this kind of interference.
"This is the same question we asked President Kagame. Uganda and Rwanda have interests in the Congo and are responsible for the conflicts. Just like Uganda wants peace in the north, Congo also wants peace," Friedbert said.
He praised President Yoweri Museveni for his leadership, saying it is under him that peace and stability had been enjoyed by Ugandans for the longest time. "We follow the political debates that are going on here, but President Museveni has for sure built a good reputation," he said.
Ssekandi told the guests that Uganda's interest in the DRC is its security interests.
"I agree with you but we also have interest in our security and we have to secure our borders," he said.
He also said the LRA war had persisted in the northern part of the country because the LRA was being armed by their sympathisers outside Uganda.
