Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

August 6, 2012

Question: What are the United States' expectations for tomorrow's meetings in Kampala regarding the creation of a neutral force to police the borders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Answer: The United States remains deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We are encouraged by the ongoing high-level dialogue among the states of the Great Lakes region, including the heads-of-state summit scheduled in Kampala for August 7-8. We continue to urge Great Lakes governments to take concrete steps to end all outside support to rebel groups, particularly the M23, and to apprehend their leaders. Given the existence of a substantial UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC, we look forward to receiving additional information on the regional proposal to create a neutral international force.