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http://www.africanews.org/central/congo-kinshasa/stories/19981224_feat1.html
Source App: [Dialogue Is Key To Success In Lusaka Summit - Netscape]
Dialogue Is Key To Success In Lusaka Summit
December 24, 1998
Kinshasa, Congo (PANA) - Many Congolese citizens regard the summit on the crisis
in the Great Lakes scheduled to open in Lusaka, Zambia, 27 December as the last
chance to find a solution to the conflicts in the area.
Almost everyone in the Democratic Republic of Congo seems to agree that a solution can only come through internal dialogue among the sons and daughters of the country.
President Laurent Kabila says such a dialogue would be concretized with the organisation of general elections in 1999 to enable the Congoles people choose their leaders.
Taking the cue from Kabila, the government of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo is opposed to any dialogue "among politicians with no involvement of the people", akin to the so-called Sovereign National Conference held for more than seven months in the protracted transition period (1990-1997) under the late President Mobutu Sese Seko's regime.
The radical opposition, led by Etienne Tshisekedi of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, has consistently called for dialogue among the people of Congo, including those on the rebel side.
This view is also shared by the moderate wing of the opposition, led by Bobolko Lokonga, chairman of the Democratic Christian Socialist Party, the third political force in the country during Mobutu's reign.
However, contrary to Tshisekedi, Lokonga said that dialogue among Congolese could come through the resumption of political activities and the holding of general elections provided for in the political agenda announced by Kabila.
Meanwhile, the civil society, represented by priests and other NGOs, such as the National League of Voters and the Voice of the Voiceless, have expressed the desire for dialogue among the citizenry.
The call for dialogue demonstrates the concern over preserving the territorial integrity of the country which, all the parties agree, calls for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Rwandan and Ugandan troops.
"There can be no ceasefire without the withdrawal of Rwandan and Ugandan troops, " Kabila insists.
The rebels have continued to refuse to negotiate until they are allowed to sit at the same table with Kabila. They contend that "a mere ceasefire is not enough to resolve the crisis", especially if it is only concluded between the government, Rwanda and Uganda.
The rebels view is supported by the governments of Rwanda and Uganda, which insist that in order to ensure security at their borders, Kabila must negotiate a ceasefire with the rebel forces.
Against this background, the Lusaka summit, which is supposed to finalise a ceasefire accord, could prove to be as fractious as previous forums on the conflict, observers noted.
Yet, others say some measure of success can be achieved provided all sides in the conflict are prepared to make compromises in the true spirit of dialogue.
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