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APRIL 18, 16:23 EDT
Report: Leaders Sign Congo Pact
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — The presidents of four African countries meeting in Libya signed a peace agreement Sunday aimed at ending the civil war in Congo, the Libyan news agency reported.
However, Congolese rebels were not part of the deal.
The agreement was reached after two days of talks in the Libyan coastal town Sirte, Libya's state-run JANA news agency said.
The rebels have previously rejected any deals without their direct participation and it was not clear how effective the Sirte pact would be. Also unrepresented in the agreement was Rwanda, the principal backer of the rebels, who now hold the eastern third of the country in their fight to seize power.
But the presence of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who also supports the rebels, may lend the pact some weight.
JANA said three of the signatories to the peace agreement were Museveni, President Laurent Kabila of Congo and his ally, President Idriss Deby of Chad. Also signing on was President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea, which does not have a role in the conflict but has good relations with Kabila's government.
The agreement calls for a cease-fire, the installation of African peacekeeping forces in areas of conflict, the withdrawal of foreign troops, no interference in the internal affairs of Congo and encouraging Congo to start ''a national dialogue with all sides,'' JANA said.
The reference to foreign troops was apparently aimed at Ugandan and Rwandan soldiers fighting alongside the rebels as well as Namibian, Zimbabwean and Angolan troops helping Kabila.
JANA did not give details of the proposed peacekeeping force, including when it will be formed or which countries will contribute to it.
In Congo, rebel leader Ernest Wamba dia Wamba said he was unaware of any peace agreement in Libya.
The agreement comes only a day after rebel leaders walked out of similar peace talks in Zambia. The rebels said they were not being given time by the Congolese government representative to scrutinize a discussion agenda and propose changes.
The Zambia talks were aimed at considering a cease-fire, a withdrawal of foreign troops and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.
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