UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday met with President Joseph Kabila and other politicians of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), urging them to work together for national unity to ensure a fair voting in the June 18 general election.

After the talks, Annan said a trust-worthy vote, which is in the interests of all, must be open to all political parties, fair, free and safe.

For the DRC which has just rid itself of internal conflicts, the June election, the first in 45 years, is a remarkable period and what is important is that the election should be transparent, fair and safe with everyone accepting the rule of the game, the UN chief said.

He called on DRC politicians to follow the rule of the game, accept the election results and, in case of any problems, solve them through peaceful means.

A 1998-2003 civil war in the DRC left nearly 4 million people dead. Various militias are still fighting in the mineral-rich east. The country now hosts nearly 17,000 UN peacekeepers, the largest dispatch by the world body.

Source: Xinhua