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The facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, Ketumile Masire, has discussed with President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the final stages of the inter-Congolese dialogue (ICD).
However, addressing reporters after the meeting, held in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, on Monday, he declined to name a date for the resumption of the talks. "I have not yet discussed it with the other parties to the dialogue," he said.
Kabila has expressed the wish for the dialogue take place in the DRC, in contrast with the previous round of talks, which were held in Sun City, South Africa, in early 2002. Kabila had declared himself willing to go anywhere on Congolese soil, his spokesman, Mulegwa Zihindula, told reporters, adding that the security of all participants would be assured.
Later on Monday, Masire met Amos Namanga Ngongi, the head of the UN mission in the DRC, as well as Mbusa Nyamwisi, the leader of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML). On Tuesday he is due to discuss the ICD with representatives of political parties and civil society who attended the Sun City talks.
A meeting is scheduled with Mayi-Mayi representatives for Wednesday, after which Masire will travel to Gbadolite to meet Jean-Pierre Bemba, head of the Mouvement de liberation du Congo, as well as civil society groups in the town.
On Friday he will go on to Goma, to meet the leaders of the RCD-Goma and civil society, after which he will return to Kinshasa for further consultations with Kabila and diplomats. Masire returns to Gaborone, the Botswana capital, on Sunday.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
