On Thursday October 12, 2006, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, UN Under Secretary General in charge of political affairs, will arrive in the DRC as part of an official four day visit to the country.

Mr. Gambari is also the UN High Representative for electoral assistance. It is within this framework that he visits the country, to see the state of the preparations for the upcoming elections, scheduled for October 29 next.

Mr. Gambari will be accompanied by Mr. Craig Jenness, the new UN electoral assistance director in the political affairs department.

Both officials will lend the support of the United Nations to the democratic transition in progress in the country, and to reaffirm the UN engagement beside the Congolese people in this crucial period of their history.

The DRC elections remain the most important operation of electoral assistance ever undertaken by the United Nations since their creation.

During his stay in the DRC, Mr. Gambari will have many talks; in particular with the Congolese political actors, the Independent Electoral Commission, members of the Government as well as the head of state, Joseph Kabila.

During his stay Mr. Gambari will give a press conference at 5:30pm on Saturday 14 October next, at MONUC headquarters in Kinshasa.

Mr. Gambari will leave the DRC for South Africa on Sunday 15 October next, where he will launch, in Capetown on Monday October 16, the first in a series of consultations with world experts on peace process mediation techniques.