PEACE talks on the Democratic Republic of Congo gained momentum on Monday as the DRC put a power-sharing proposal on the table and the
South African president met with warring rivals.
Kinshasa said it was prepared to let the post of prime minister
in a post-war, transition government go to a member of the
country’s rebel movements or the political opposition.
It also suggested that there be four deputy prime ministers
drawn from the ranks of the two main rebel groups, the opposition
and civil society.
Communications Minister Kikaya bin Karubi said the proposals
were a bid to break a deadlock between the rebels and Kinshasa on
how the new government will be composed and who will lead it.
He added that in Kinshasa’s view the transition phase should
last 18 months to two years, after which the former Zaire would
hold its first elections since independence from Belgium in 1960.
But he emphasised that Kinshasa was still adamant that President
Joseph Kabila would stay in his post during the transition. The
rebels reject this, wanting the position declared vacant, forcing
Kabila to apply for it along with other candidates.
Observers and rebel representatives here said Kinshasa’s plan
offered nothing new, but simply reiterated the position its
delegates have been taking at the talks in Sun City, South Africa
for the past two weeks.
In the same breath however they said that the 360 participants
in the peace talks had been making rapid progress in settling
matters that are less contentious but vital for the stability of
the central African state that has been devastated by four years of
war.
Working groups charged with compiling an economic recovery plan
for the DRC and proposals on reconciling its 50-million people had
completed their work and would put them to plenary for adoption
late on Monday, a diplomat said.
The commission on reconciliation has dealt with the thorny
issues of the protection of minorities, like the Tutsis whose
persecution fuelled the war, and the extension of Congolese
nationality to all groups in the country.
In the meantime President Thabo Mbeki was late on Monday still
meeting with the belligerents in the war, holding the second round
of talks of the day with the Ugandan-backed Congolese Liberation
Movement and the Rally for Democracy, supported by Rwanda, this
time together.
DRC government sources said this would be followed by a second
meeting with their representatives.
Earlier in the day the South African president had met with the
political opposition, civil society and the facilitator of the
talks, Sir Ketumile Masire.
Masire, former president of Botswana, has vowed not to let the
45-day talks run into overtime, which means the parties have till
Friday to find agreement.
Masire’s aides said they were cautiously optimistic that the
delegates would make the deadline and sign a deal on a new
political dispensation, deciding both the structure and the
leadership of the interim government.
”We are working on the assumption that everything will be
resolved here at Sun City,” one of them said.
This marks a change from last week when many delegates expressed
despair at the row between Kinshasa and the rebels over Kabila’s
future and said it would take another dialogue to resolve it.
A member of the political opposition said the dialogue had by
Monday ”moved forward” and as the main belligerents — Kinshasa,
the RCD and the MLC — were finding common ground on the structure
of a new government, there was hope that they could eventually
agree on who will fill the key posts in it.
Of the two rebel groups, the MLC has appeared the one more ready
to compromise and it said Monday it welcomed Mbeki’s efforts ”to
act a little like a mediator.”
RCD Secretary General Azarias Ruberwa described the negotiations
of the last few days as ”dynamic” and said he was more optimistic
that a political settlement would be found than he was a week ago. – AFP
