PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki has held talks in Pretoria with Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame regarding peace efforts in the Great Lakes region, Mbeki’s spokesman said. The meeting lasted about an hour, spokesman, Parks Mankahlana, said on Sunday. He had no details of the meeting but said discussions would have included the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kagame, who took over the presidency of Rwanda on Thursday following the sudden resignation of President Pasteur Bizimungu, is a key player in the DRC conflict as Rwanda backs one of the main rebels groups trying to topple President Laurent Kabila. Government sources said Mbeki had invited Kagame to the meeting to secure his commitment to the peace process so that he could reassure Kabila that if he stuck to the Lusaka peace accord, other key players would also do so.