By Daphne Psaledakis and Sonia Rolley
WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) -Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda said in a statement on Friday that they had agreed an economic pact in Washington, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to implement a peace deal and spur Western investment in the region.
Reuters earlier reported that technical teams from the delegations had initialed the Regional Economic Integration Framework on Friday.
“The REIF outlines key areas for fostering economic cooperation and development between the two nations,” according to a statement released by the State Department after a meeting of a joint oversight committee.
It is due to be signed by heads of state during a visit to the White House, but the date for that visit is unclear. The two presidents had been tentatively expected to meet on November 13, but sources said the date was never confirmed.
The implementation of the framework remains contingent upon the satisfactory execution of a previous agreement, according to the statement, which includes the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern Congo and operations to eliminate the threat from Congo-based armed group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Last month, the parties failed to sign the economic deal as expected, a setback in Trump’s ambitious bid to broker peace and draw billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.
Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers in June signed a peace deal in Washington, which included a pledge to implement a 2024 agreement that said Rwanda would lift its defensive measures in eastern Congo within 90 days.
Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR, a Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwanda’s former army and militias that carried out the 1994 genocide, are meant to conclude over the same timeframe.
“The committee recognized lagging progress and committed to redouble efforts to implement the Washington peace agreement,” said Friday’s statement, which added that the parties had agreed to take specific near-term actions related to military activity.
Reuters reported in September that Rwanda and Congo would begin implementing the security measures agreed under the deal on October 1, later than initially agreed.
Kinshasa and Kigali were also meant to launch the regional economic integration framework within 90 days, the Washington agreement said. That deadline fell at the end of September.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Sonia Rolley in Paris; additional reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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