Government pulls out of preparatory meeting for dialogue

The facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, former Botswana president Ketumile Masire, has announced his intention to convene a preparatory meeting of the parties involved from 5 to 7 June in Cotonou, Benin. Masire invited the DRC government of President Laurent-Desire Kabila, the political opposition, the armed opposition and representatives of civil society, a statement from the facilitator’s office stated. The government has already pulled out of the Cotonou meeting, sources close to the facilitator told IRIN on Tuesday.

The Benin session was intended to create the conditions necessary to begin the national dialogue - intended to establish a new political dispensation for the DRC under the terms of the Lusaka peace agreement - through joint meetings under the chairmanship of the facilitator. It was hoped the three-day preparatory talks could deliver agreement on a venue for the dialogue; the appropriate level of participation; the type of representation required; the structure of the dialogue; and, the rules of procedure governing discussions during the dialogue.