To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has held with the governments of (a) Rwanda, (b) Uganda, (c) Congo Brazzaville and (d) Angola on (i) the security situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo and (ii) the presence of non-Congolese irregular forces; and if she will make a statement. (84947)

The security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, especially in the east and north-east. Officials from our missions in the Great Lakes region regularly discuss the security situation in the DRC and its border areas with the governments to which they are accredited.

We continue to remind regional governments of the need to respect Congolese territorial sovereignty and to work together to resolve the issue of the foreign armed groups in the region. We underline that there must be no external support for Congolese armed groups that try to disrupt the peace process and that the DRC must take action to deal with the armed groups on its soil. UN Security Council Resolution 1653 reinforced this message. We support the US-facilitated Tripartite Plus Commission which brings Ugandan, Rwandan, Burundian and Congolese Foreign Ministers together to find solutions to issues affecting the region.