Text:
http://www.africanews.org/central/congo-kinshasa/stories/19981214_feat3.html
Source App: [Summit On Congo Conflict Postponed - Netscape]
Summit On Congo Conflict Postponed
December 14, 1998
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - The summit to deal with the crisis in the
Democratic Republic of Congo in Lusaka Monday was postponed indefinitely because
rebel leaders were not included in the talks.
According to The Star newspaper, the ministers' meeting that was supposed to precede the summit was also postponed.
South Africa was officially informed by Zambia that the summit would not go ahead but had not yet furnished South Africa with reasons for calling it off.
This follows the private visit by Congolese President Laurent Kabila to his Zambian counterpart, Frederick Chiluba, last week. It appears Chiluba was unable to persuade Kabila to confer with the rebels during their meeting.
However, President Nelson Mandela claims he made progress Sunday in talks with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe over Harare's military intervention in support of Kabila.
Relations between the two leaders have been strained with Mugabe favouring a military solution to the crisis and South Africa diplomacy to end the war.
Mandela, who is on a brief visit to address the eighth assembly of the World Council of Churches in Harare, met with Mugabe for the first time since a regional summit in September.
According to the president's office, Mandela expressed his determination to resolve the impasse, saying they are regional leaders who are competent and experienced and who understand the importance of peace.
However, Mandela and Mugabe declined to further discuss their progress, saying they would consult Chiluba, who is mediating the crisis.
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