Kabila's minister hails breakthrough Congo accord
ABIDJAN, July 2 (Reuters) - President Laurent Kabila's foreign minister hailed a breakthrough accord on Friday to end the Congolese conflict and said it enshrined his government's authority over the whole of the nation's territory.
"I can tell you that I am very satisfied," Foreign Minister Aboulaye Yerodia told Radio France Internationale after he ended landmark talks with rebels battling to topple Kabila.
"We arrived at formulations on which we are all agreed -- the necessity for the signing of a ceasefire, extension of the authority of the state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on all national territory," Yerodia said.
"After the signing of the ceasefire accord, all (rebel forces) who are on occupied national territory, including our own (armed) Congolese brothers, have no further reason to be there," he added.
Yerodia said the accord included modalities for their withdrawal, but he did not elaborate.
His talks with envoys of all three rebel groups marked the most prominent meeting between a senior Congolese official and rebels waging an 11-month bush war against Kabila's rule.
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