Inter-Congolese dialogue to resume 25 February

The facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, Ketumile Masire, announced on Tuesday that peace negotiations between the government, civil society, political parties and the rebels would resume on 25 February in Sun City, South Africa.

He told reporters in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that the date was decided "after consultations with different Congolese stakeholders" and consideration of "some technical issues". That took place on a fact-finding tour of Kinshasa, Gbadolite in the northwest, and Goma in the east. The tour started on 24 January, his office in Botswana reported.

Past attempts to host the inter-Congolese talks were bogged down by the lack of money and agreement on who should participate. However, this time Masire expressed optimism that the talks would be held as planned.

"Even if many financial commitments have not been honoured, I can say with confidence that we are in a reasonable situation and can start the meeting now." He said.

In addition, he said the issue of representation of some groups at the talks was being discussed "through consultation mechanisms with the Congolese themselves". He urged them to be more cooperative and not place more obstacles ahead of the Sun City meeting.