Final Version PSC/AHG/Comm. (XXIII) Page 5 2. Reaffirms the obligation of all Member States to comply with the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, in particular the respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the prohibition of the use of force or the threat to use force among Member States and the rejection of policies of exclusion; 3. Affirms that the problem posed by the continued presence of the exFAR and Interahamwe and other armed groups in Eastern DRC requires a decisive action by the international community at large and Africa in particular, to effectively disarm and neutralize these armed groups. In this regard, Council welcomes the support expressed by the President of the DRC to the principle of forceful disarmament of these armed groups by an African force. In this respect, Council urges AU Member States to extend the necessary security assistance, including troops, to contribute to the effective disarmament and neutralization of the armed groups. Furthermore, Council requests the Commission to facilitate necessary consultations with AU Member States, including the countries of the region, the United Nations, the European Union (EU) and other stakeholders, as a follow-up to this decision; 4. Requests the UN Security Council to increase substantially the strength of the Mission of the Organisation of the United Nations in the Congo (MONUC) and enhance its mandate to enable it contribute more effectively to the stabilization of the situation in Eastern DRC, including in the disarmament and the neutralisation of the ex-FAR and Interahamwe and in the enhancement of security along the border between the DRC and Rwanda; 5. Requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission, in concert with the United Nations, to work towards the early operationalization of the Joint Verification Mechanism (JVM) agreed upon by DRC and Rwanda, in the spirit and letter of the Terms of Reference signed in New York on 22 September 2004 under the aegis of the United Nations and the AU and calls upon the Parties to cooperate fully with the African Union and the United Nations; 6. Requests the Current Chairman of the African Union, in liaison with the Chairperson of the Commission, to take appropriate measures to encourage the re-establishment of confidence between the DRC and Rwanda, including meetings between Presidents Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagamé. Council welcomes the readiness shown by the two Heads of State in this regard, and encourages the resumption of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, preferably before the next AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government;