Non-belligerents round table under way in Belgium

Representatives of internal political opposition and civil society groups from throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo convened on Tuesday for a three-day round table discussion
aimed at easing the way to the inter-Congolese peace talks due at the end of January.

Tuesday's meeting in Brussels, opened by Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his opening speech, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel recalled that this initiative was taking place "exclusively in the context of the Lusaka agreement". He added that it organised in agreement with the inter-Congolese dialogue facilitator, former Botswana president Ketumile Masire.

Four themes are on the agenda: transitional government institutions; a constitution and the issue of nationality; an electoral system; and the question of the army and security.

Two of the Congo's main political opposition parties, however - the Forces novatrices pour l'union et la solidarite of Joseph Olengakhoy, and the Union pour la democratie et le progres social of Etienne Tshisekedi - refused to participate. Tshisekedi's group said that this "anarchic, parallel and inopportune initiative" aimed to create "an artificial antagonism between the belligerents and the non-belligerents" and to "ultimately impose Joseph Kabila as president of the transition".

In his speech, Michel underlined that "Belgium had no hidden agenda", but only sought "the best interests of the Congolese population". His personal role in the conference, Michel added, was only a "technical" one.

Although they were invited, the Ugandan-backed Mouvement de liberation du Congo and the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Goma armed opposition movements both refused to send observers to the meeting.

The government in Kinshasa is represented by its commissioner to the UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo, Vital Kamerhe. Other observers include delegates from Masire's office, the UN, the OAU, and the European Union. Also taking part in the meeting are representatives from churches in Congo, traditional chiefs, and members of the Congolese diaspora. While this latter group has not been scheduled for inclusion in the inter-Congolese dialogue, Michel has allowed them to attend as observers.