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Belligerents to meet Thursday

    NAIROBI

    Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, chief SADC mediator in the DRC conflict, will chair a meeting of regional leaders on Thursday in South Africa to discuss peace efforts, news agencies said. The Pretoria meeting will bring together leaders from the 14 SADC member countries as well as Rwanda, Uganda, Libya and Kenya, who are all in South Africa for the inauguration of President Thabo Mbeki. “I have prepared an extensive briefing for my colleagues for Thursday’s meeting. We are on course to sign the ceasefire on June 25,” Reuters quoted Chiluba as saying on Tuesday. It was unclear whether DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila would attend the Pretoria meeting. Rebels of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD) would not attend Thursday’s talks but would consult separately with South Africa, Chiluba and other leaders, Reuters reported.

    Chiluba confirmed earlier on Tuesday that the rebels would participate directly in a meeting of SADC foreign and defence ministers and a summit, both scheduled for next week in Lusaka, to try to put an end to the 11-month conflict, news agencies reported.

    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

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