MARCH 25, 04:19 EST
Congo Rebels Prepare To Meet Kabila
By HRVOJE HRANJSKI
Associated Press Writer
BUKAVU, Congo (AP) — African mediators were making preparations for the first face-to-face meeting between Congolese rebels and President Laurent Kabila, only days after the embattled Congolese leader made a sudden peace overture, a rebel leader said today.
Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, leader of the rebel Congolese Democratic Coalition, said Zambian President Frederick Chiluba had won Kabila's agreement to meet the rebels for the first time since they took up arms in August, backed by troops and arms from Rwanda and Uganda.
''I have been in touch with Chiluba and we are trying to see how we can proceed from that agreement,'' Wamba told The Associated Press. ''It is difficult to say whether Kabila's offer is genuine. The only way to find out is to go and meet him.''
Wamba said no date or venue had been set yet for the next round of peace talks, which he expected to begin next week.
Kabila had previously refused to talk with the rebels, accusing them of being puppets of Rwanda and Uganda. Last month, in an apparent overture, Kabila said he was willing to talk to the rebels.
Wamba said Kabila had probably softened his position after government troops and their allies from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Chad suffered a series of defeats to the rebels in southern Congo recently.
Last week, rebels advancing on the southern diamond center of Mbuji-Mayi inflicted heavy casualties on a Zimbabwean battalion. Up to 80 soldiers were killed, two MiG fighter jets shot down and ammunition and armored vehicles captured.
On Wednesday, Rwandan army sources said another MiG aircraft was downed when it flew over rebel positions near Kabalo, a front-line town about 125 miles east of Mbuji-Mayi. So far, Zimbabwe has lost more than a dozen aircraft, mainly from shoulder-operated surface-to-air missiles used by Rwandan troops.
Chiluba's announcement came after his visit to the capital, Kinshasa, where he met Kabila on Tuesday.
Chiluba has been nominated by African leaders to spearhead efforts to secure a cease-fire in Congo. His plan calls for a cease-fire among the five foreign powers fighting in Congo, and a separate blueprint addressing their security interests.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the peace agreement would be enforced by international |
