Bozize opens reconciliation conference

The head of state of the Central African Republic (CAR), Francois Bozize, officially launched on Tuesday a national political conference aimed at reconciling a nation torn by years of repeated civil wars.

"The ultimate goal of the dialogue is to ensure the return to a constitutional democracy within a realistic timeframe," he said in Bangui, the capital.

Bozize had recently announced that a constitutional referendum would be held in mid-2004, and parliamentary, municipal and presidential elections in the second half of the same year. He said he would not contest the elections and would step down in January 2005, when the current transition to democracy ends.

Also at the inaugural ceremony the coordinator of the national conference, the Rev Isaac Zokoe, appealed to the nation to reject war.

"We have fought one another enough with firearms, let us now let our hearts express themselves," he said.

Zokoe was the facilitator of government-labour union salary negotiations in 2000. Bozize appointed him coordinator of the national conference on 24 August to replace Roman Catholic Archbishop Paulin Pomodimo, who resigned.

Former President Ange-Felix Patasse, whom Bozize overthrew on 15 March, first initiated the national conference, which Zokoe said would actually start work on 15 September and last "some weeks", in November 2002. Patasse, now in exile in Togo, was excluded from the forum by the National Transitional Council, which has accused him of war crimes, crimes against humanity and economic crimes.

The Rev Josue Binoua, former Prime Minister Enock Derant Lakoue and former Mines Minister Charles Massi are assisting Zokoe, who said the dialogue should not be an opportunity to exhume old conflicts and quarrels.

"Today’s victims are perhaps yesterday’s torturers," he said, calling on "yesterday’s victims" to attend the dialogue without the thirst for vengeance.

At most 350 delegates from all political, social, religious and professional affiliations are expected in Bangui, where the conference will be held. Some 30 foreign guests are expected to be invited.

A 40-member technical team is preparing the agenda of the forum. Composed of commissions on truth and reconciliation; political and diplomatic issues, defence and security; economy and finances; educational, social and cultural matters; and logistics, the team is also to identify and invite delegates.

This is the fourth such conference in the CAR since its independence in 1960. Political actors met in 1981 to examine how to run the post- [Jean Bedel] Bokassa era; in 1991 to institute a multipartite system; and in 1998 in the presence of African heads of state to end the 1996-7 war. Analysts are skeptical as to whether reconciliation is possible with the absence from the national dialogue of major politicians: former presidents Andre Kolingba (1981-1993) still in exile in Uganda and Patasse (1993-2003) are not attending the dialogue.