OWN CORRESPONDENT, Grand Baie | Monday 10.00pm.
RWANDAN and Ugandan delegates were reportedly refused permission to attend a closed door meeting of South African Development Community members in the Mauritian resort of Grand Baie on Monday. The two countries are not members of the 14-nation SADC.
A Democratic Republic of Congo official said the DRC will insist that Uganda and Rwanda not not be allowed to participate since they are not SADC members and the issues under discussion have nothing to do with them.
The DRC has repeatedly accused Uganda and Rwanda of supporting Congolese rebels intent on overthrowing the DRC government. Rwandan Minister in the Office of the President, Patrick Mazimhaka, said, however, he had been invited to the summit by President Nelson Mandela, who chairs the SADC, and understood he would be allowed to join the session when the DRC was discussed.
DRC President Laurent Kabila is thought to have enjoyed a private lunch with his allies, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and Namibian President Sam Nujoma, who are backing government troops.
The summit was on Monday running way behind schedule, with the afternoon session starting more than two hours late. With some of the leaders due to fly out on Monday evening, leaders will struggle to reach agreement on key issues.