Explanation of vote delivered by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, following the vote on renewing MONUSCO's mandate.
The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of this resolution renewing MONUSCO's mandate. And we thank France and Sierra Leone for their leadership of the negotiations.
I would like to make two points.
First, The UK is disappointed by the postponement of the Luanda Process Heads of State Summit scheduled for 15 December.
We remain greatly appreciative of Angola's mediation efforts and urge all parties to engage with the Luanda Process in good faith and deliver on their commitments.
Second, we are concerned by the surge in violence since the 15 December.
In this context, the UK is concerned by the presence of Rwanda Defence Forces in DRC, as reported by the Group of Experts.
We call on all parties to the conflict to refrain from obstructing MONUSCO operations.
