Masire to hold talks with Mbeki

The facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, Ketumile Masire, was scheduled to hold talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday, the facilitator’s chef de cabinet Philip Winter told IRIN on Wednesday. Masire is also set to meet Mozambican President Joachim Chissano on Thursday. Winter said the meetings were part of the ongoing shuttle diplomacy in a bid to solve the inter-Congolese dialogue problem, following the DRC government’s rejection of Masire. He confirmed that on Tuesday, the facilitator met Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and briefed him on the progress and constraints he had encountered so far in the dialogue. According to the Rwanda News Agency (RNA), Masire told journalists in Kigali he was continuing with his facilitation role, despite the DRC government’s rejection. “I was appointed by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and mandated by the terms of the Lusaka peace accord to play my role, and I intend to continue to do so,” he said. He indicated that he had not yet been formally informed of the DRC’s position, saying he would “cross that bridge when I come to it”.