MATTHEW LEE, Washington | Tuesday
THE Democratic Republic of Congos (DRC) undemocratically elected president, the fresh-faced Joseph Kabila (29), is to visit the United States this week for talks here and at the United Nations.
Kabila, who succeeded his murdered father as president only last week, is to begin his two-day visit in Washington on Thursday, where he will attend an annual prayer breakfast sponsored by Congress and then meet with US officials.
State Department representative Richard Boucher said Washington would press Kabila to follow through on the Lusaka Accords, the agreement reached in the Zambian capital in 1999 to end the ongoing civil war in the DRC.
“We believe that that is the best route to peace and reconciliation for the Congo,” he said, adding that adherence to the Lusaka agreement would be the “fundamental” message delivered to Kabila by US officials.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame is also expected in Washington this week, but Boucher said it was not clear whether he would hold any official meetings at the State Department.
Boucher implied that Kabila’s decision to attend the National Prayer Breakfast had come as a surprise to Washington but that the United States welcomed the opportunity to speak with him.
US President George W. Bush last week sent Kabila a letter of condolence following his father’s death, and the new leader met with Swing in what officials said were cordial talks.
After Washington, Kabila is to travel to New York for talks with UN chief Kofi Annan and other diplomats at the world body, officials there said.
Kabila’s father had a fractious relationship with the United Nations, which has not yet deployed the 5_500 peacekeepers foreseen by the Lusaka Accords because of continued fighting and difficulties in dealing with the DRC government.
“It will be interesting to see Kabila outline his intentions vis-a-vis the Lusaka process and the inter-Congolese dialogue,” said one UN diplomat. – AFP