Text:
http://www.africanews.org/central/congo-kinshasa/stories/19990413_feat3.html
Source App: [Kabila Takes Talks To Italy - Netscape]
Kabila Takes Talks To Italy
April 13, 1999
By Goodson Machona In Dar Es Salaam
Lusaka - Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila may meet leaders
of the rebel coalition trying to oust him in Rome, Italy, next month.
Sources close to the embattled leader revealed this to Tanzania's Daily Mail minutes after President Kabila met his Tanzanian counterpart President Benjamin Mkapa in Dar es Salaam on Friday.
"To my knowledge, the president wants to inform his counterpart on the progress reached so far at ending the war in our country," the source said.
However, President Kabila kept this development close to his chest. He told reporters at Dar es Salaam International Airport prior to departure for Kinshasa that "we had talks on bilateral issues between our countries and on the war in the Congo".
Tanzania is home to several Congolese refugees who are fleeing the eight month long war which has affected President Kabila's fragile economy and threatens to undermine his political base.
Last week President Kabila met with the Presidents of Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe in Luanda, Angola where they reaffirmed their support for the war in the DRC.
This came barely hours after the United Nations Security Council demanded an end to hostilities in the war which has sucked in nearly half a dozen armies.
A unanimous resolution adopted without debate also called for the "immediate signing of cease-fire agreement allowing the orderly withdrawal of all foreign forces".
The Council also welcomed the intentions of holding an "all inclusive national debate as a precursor to elections" in the DRC.