OWN CORRESPONDENT, Lusaka | Tuesday 9.00pm.
TWO days of talks aimed at ending the civil strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo ended Tuesday with the adoption, in principle, of a draft ceasefire agreement.
A communique issued at the end of the talks said defence and foreign ministers from a dozen countries had also agreed on the establishment of a mechanism to involve Tutsi-led rebels in the ceasefire talks.
The formal signing of a ceasefire agreement will be undertaken at a later date by the heads of state of the countries concerned, said Kaire Mbuende, secretary general of the Southern African Development Community, which co-sponsored the Lusaka talks.
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REBELS in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday condemned DRC President Laurent Kabila and his allies for refusing dialogue after rebel delegates were kept out of negotiations in Lusaka.
The rebels’ political wing, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (CRD), issued a statement from the eastern stronghold of Goma saying that “most delegation leaders [meeting in Lusaka] … are for the promotion of endless African discussions” of the DRC conflict.
The rebellion in the DRC has drawn in several countries, with Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia backing Kabila while Uganda and Rwanda are accused of supporting the Tutsi-led rebels.
“Unfortunately Kabila and his allies insist on excluding the CRD from the negotiations,” the statement said, adding that the political wing had been “officially invited” to Lusaka by Zambian President Frederick Chiluba “who hopes to bring an end to the civil war in Congo.” — AFP