Republic of Congo's ruling Congolese Labor Party (PCT) and former prime minister Bernard Kolelas' Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (MDCCI) on Tuesday concluded an agreement calling for the formation of the "Bedrock of National Unity" alliance.

In signing this agreement, the two parties are hoping to work together in a bid to win the forthcoming legislative, local, senatorial and presidential elections which will be held in the country between 2007 and 2009.

According to this agreement, the contracting parties affirm their willingness to put all the necessary measures in place in order to realize lasting peace and security in the department of Pool, Kolelas' stronghold, which has been plagued by recurring conflicts from 1998 to 2002.

In order to safeguard trust, the agreement forbids the two parties from reaching separate agreements with other partners in case these agreements are in contradiction of this agreement's objectives which include the creation of a stable parliamentary majority, the establishment of a pragmatic platform and equitable sharing of public offices.

The two parties also agreed to put in place a joint technical committee to oversee the implementation of this agreement.

The first round of legislative elections in the country is scheduled to be held on June 24, 2007 with the second round following on July 22, 2007.

Source: Xinhua