Todays update,
Sunday, April 18, 1999 Published at 02:16 GMT 03:16 UK
World: Africa
Congo peace talks in Rome proposed
A government minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo says talks with rebel leaders will be held in Rome at the end of this month in an effort to end the civil war.
The Information Minister, Didier Mumengi, said two rebel leaders had agreed to take part following contacts with mediators from the Sant'Egidio organisation in Rome.
However, both rebel leaders told the BBC that certain conditions had to be met before the talks.
One of them, Wamba dia Wamba, criticised the composition of the government delegation saying it consisted of what he called dinosaurs in exile, trying to secure their return to Kinshasa.
The other, Jean-Pierre Bemba, said political prisoners had to be released and political parties allowed to operate freely. On Saturday, low-level talks between the rebels and government on technical issues were broken off early.
The rebel delegation walked out of the discussions in Zambia, complaining that they had been given no time to scrutinise the agenda or propose changes to it.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
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