President says fierce fighting in the north, announces plans for talks

President Ange-Felix Patasse of the Central African Republic (CAR) announced in a nationwide address on Monday that fierce fighting was in progress 157 km northwest of the capital, Bangui, and that there were plans to hold talks on national reconciliation by the end of December.

"As I speak to you now, fierce fighting is taking place in Bossembele between our valiant army and the Chadian aggressors," he said.

He did not say whether other northwestern towns like Bossagoa, 305 km from Bangui, where government troops are being supported by air strikes, were under government control, nor whether the main road to Cameroon via Bossembele was still open to traffic. If the road were closed then Bangui, which depends heavily on exports, would rapidly run out of imported goods, which come mainly through the Cameroonian port of Douala.

In this his first speech to the nation since an abortive rebel invasion of Bangui on 25 October, he said reconciliation talks were "indispensable" for national cohesion.

"I intend to have talks very soon with the leaders of political parties and the civil society," he said.

These developments have come just days after the National Assembly - where the ruling Mouvement pour la liberation du peuple centrafricain and its allies form the majority - overwhelmingly adopted a motion calling for a political dialogue and a crisis government. Two weeks ago, the assembly voted 54 to 22 against an opposition motion to impeach Patasse and bring him to court for treason.