National talks end, follow-up team established

The national reconciliation talks in the Central African Republic (CAR) ended on Thursday in the capital, Bangui, with the completion of the final report and the setting up of a team to oversee implementation of the recommendations made, the chairman of the talks, Isaac Zokoe, told IRIN on Friday. Zokoe said a 21-member follow-up team, including 15 people elected by the 350 delegates to the talks, and representatives of the government, the National Transitional Council and the talks’ coordination team, was set up on Thursday. He said that the team would be operational until after the transition, due to end in January 2005. Initially scheduled to take place from 15-30 September, the national talks were first extended to 6 October and then for an additional 10 days. Zokoe said the official closing ceremony would take place between 20-25 October, depending on the availability of the African heads of state invited. During the month-long talks, the delegates from all the country’s provinces and affiliations discussed and made recommendations on issues including truth and reconciliation; politics and diplomacy; economy and finances; defence and security; and education, social affairs and culture. "We were able to analyse the country’s problems under all their forms," Zokoe said. He added that the dialogue had achieved its goals and that the reconciliation process had started in earnest. He said the talks had not proved to be "a mere formality" as many people had anticipated. He said that the historic reconciliation on 10 October between long-time political rivals Prime Minister Abel Goumba and former President David Dacko symbolised the success of the talks. Other key political and military actors also sought the public's forgiveness during the talks. They included former President Andre Kolingba, Dacko and the Mouvement de Liberation du people Centrafricain of ousted President Ange-Felix Patasse. Commenting on Patasse’s absence during the dialogue, Zokoe said, "There are many perspectives to be achieved later." Patasse, in exile in Togo since his ouster on 15 March by Francois Bozize, was not invited to the talks.