MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Yamandú Orsi calls for tougher measures in Congo

Pulling Uruguay from the Monusco force needs to be decided with all the elements on the table, Orsi argued

Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi maintained Tuesday that the United Nations must do something concrete about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where troops from the South American country are stationed as part of the international Monusco peacekeeping mission. “The United Nations Security Council has to take a firmer decision,” Orsi stressed.

The Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) leader, who is less than a month away from his inauguration, highlighted the seriousness of the conflict in the African country and claimed it could worsen absent clear and firm decisions at the international level.

Regarding the Uruguayan force's role, the former mayor (governor) of Canelones underlined his country's vocation for peace and insisted that “the world sees us in a very positive light.”

Asked about pulling the Uruguayan troops from the war-torn zone, Orsi replied that such a decision needed to be made “with all the elements on the table.”

However, “we have to analyze the specific case and review the specific case of the Congo, and that requires a fine and serious work of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense.”

“What the Uruguayans have done in the area does not have to fill us with pride. It makes us proud to be Uruguayans, since what they have managed to avoid and do is worthy of admiration,” Orsi also acknowledged. Were it not for the peacekeeping troops, the consequences “would be much more painful,” he went on.

“Other proposals for missions in other parts of the world are also appearing and will appear. Today we have the Golan Heights, which were quiet until a few years ago and today became complicated,” he mentioned.

The body of the Uruguayan soldier fallen in Congo is due in his country later this week.

Regarding the recent departure from the country of Japanese autopart makers Yazaki, Orsi stressed that the loss of around 1,200 jobs coupled with US President Donald Trump's protectionist measures, “has repercussions on society” as well as on “people's lives,” given the underlying “deep-rooted problem” it showed. “There is a competitiveness issue in Uruguay,” Orsi reckoned while highlighting the importance of promoting “investment and finding the keys to competitiveness,” which are linked to monetary, labor, and energy factors.