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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that he had agreed to postpone his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo to allow President Joseph Kabila to announce "important decisions".
Guterres was due to visit the country this month preparing for the December elections as the Western powers hope to mark the end of the Kabila regime.
"The reason given for this delay was that the president will … announce very soon, a number of important decisions," Guterres at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York
he did not give details, but Kabila could soon announce when he was going to retire.
Guterres said that Kabila did not want to "give the impression" that his decision was made "because of international pressure".
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In power since 2001, Kabila has not made it clear he was going to step down – despite calls from the United States, France, and Great Britain for that he clearly states that he will not seek re-election.
Guterres said that he had received confirmation from Kinshasa that his visit would be welcome "in the near future", but no date has been announced.
If Kabila "wants to give the impression that no international pressure has led him to make the right decision, I will be very comfortable with the postponement," Guterres said.
US Ambbadador Nikki Haley also planned a visit to the DRC before the elections but it was also postponed
Candidates for the presidential election of December 23 must declare their candidacy between July 25 and August 1.
The Security Council has focused its attention on the DRC in the run-up to the December vote, with concerns over vi
The DRC hosts the largest peacekeeping mission in the world. the UN, Monusco, with some 17,500 soldiers and police officers.
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