Delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and Uganda are holding discussions with a view to paving the way for the demarcation of their common border following a series of border skirmishes, according to official sources.
"The Joint DR Congo-Uganda Technical Commission on the borders has began its meeting with a view to harmonizing the budget of the planned border demarcation exercise," the two sides in a statement Tuesday, adding that the session will end on June 14.
The meeting, which is taking place within the framework of the standing committee on borders established by a presidential decree will allow the Congolese and Ugandan experts to reach agreement on the budget for each party, said the statement.
"The proposals that will come out of the Kinshasa meeting will mainly concern the use of funds, setting the priorities of sites and setting up the timetable of work," Adolphe Tshikudi, Permanent Secretary of the Committee on Borders, said shortly before the start of the meeting.
Over the past year, the DR Congo and Uganda have been involved in a number of skirmishes over the ownership of the Rukwaazi, a small island, which is rich in natural resources such as oil and also Lake Albert.
During a summit held in Arusha, northern Tanzania, President Joseph Kabila of the DR. Congo and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni had agreed on a joint administration of Rukwaazi pending the demarcation of the border line by experts drawn from both countries.
"The political objective of the Kinshasa meeting is to seek ways to strengthen the existing friendly relations between the two neighboring countries," said a source close to the meeting.
The joint technical committee was set up on September 8, 2007 in Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, when President Joseph Kabila and his Uganda's counterpart Yoweri Museveni held discussions with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and friendship between the two countries.
Experts from the two countries then met in Bunia, eastern DR Congo, from January 16 to 20 and from March 10 to 24 in Entebbe, Uganda, where supporting documents were submitted for examination.
The two sides have also conducted a preliminary survey of Rukwaazi, including borders points at Mahagi and Vura, northern district of Ituri, in DR Congo's Orientale Province.
Source:Xinhua
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