[1][2] Delegates hoped that this would be a historic "final act", ending more than four years of war and setting up a government of national unity.
The agreement was witnessed by South African President Thabo Mbeki as well as the heads of state of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
However, another armed opposition movement, the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), backed by Rwanda, along with several parties of the unarmed political opposition including the Union pour la Democratie et le Progres Social (UDPS) of the veteran Congolese politician and former prime minister, Etienne Tshisekedi refused to sign the accord, which led to concerns about a return to violence.
There was also criticism that the delegates were not provided with a complete dossier of documentation at the end of the agreement (such as minutes of meetings, commission reports and resolutions), which hindered informed debate in the Congo.
During the agreement, the delegates considered giving the country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo away to the Kingdom of Belgium in exchange for humanitarian aid and sending an intervention force to help the central government fight the Rwandan/Ugandan backed Congolese rebels.