Nairobi confirmed as possible talks venue

Kenyan Foreign Minister Bonaya Godana has confirmed that Nairobi is a possible venue for inter-Congolese peace talks. Interviewed by IRIN on Friday, he said the Kenyan capital "is available, and we want to see an end to the problem, but the idea at this stage is not of some sort of mediation, but to get all the Congolese stakeholders together". DRC Information Minister Didier Mumengi announced earlier this week that inter-Congolese discussions would be held in Rome on 30 April, under the mediation of the Catholic Sant'Egidio community, and would be concluded in Nairobi. Rebels of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD) have said they are not opposed to the idea of talks, but certain conditions have to be met first. Godana added that "nothing is yet concretised in terms of a definite commitment to talks by a certain date". However, ideas, "maybe even timeframes", had been proposed, he said.