January 31, 2001
The Democratic Republic of Congo's new president has launched a diplomatic offensive to try and kick-start the Congo peace process.
President Joseph Kabila, in office for just six days, met South Africa's president on Tuesday night, and will on Wednesday meet the French president, the American secretary of state and the United Nations secretary general. DRC Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu said that President Kabila had reinvigorated the country's diplomacy, and that "many things are freeing up now".
President Kabila took over last week from his assassinated father Laurent Kabila, who was widely seen as a major obstacle to a solution to the country's two-and-a-half year conflict.
South African President Thabo Mbeki held a 40 minute meeting with President Kabila. Neither man commented on the discussions. Speaking afterwards, South African diplomat Sisa Ngombane said that both men had been eager to hold talks.
Referring to the stalled Lusaka peace process, Mr Ngombane said negotiations must start again and Mr Mbeki was willing to facilitate a regional summit. "What is important now is to engage all the parties to reaffirm the question of a ceasefire and then to begin to say how we implement troop withdrawal to encourage the UN to be able to react immediately to that situation."
A peace deal was signed in the Zambian capital in 1999, allowing for UN intervention. The deal was never put into effect as the parties could not agree on the detail.
The war in the DRC has been described as "Africa's world war", drawing in five neighbouring countries. Rwanda and Uganda are backing the rebels in the east. Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia are supporting the Kinshasa government.
President Kabila is travelling to the United States to meet new Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday. He will be hoping to enlist the help of the new administration.
He will then go on to the United Nations to meet Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the UN's peace keeping role.
President Kabila is also due to make a stopover in Paris to meet President Jacques Chirac. A French Government spokesperson said: "France, which is in favour of peace and dialogue, has taken note of Joseph Kabila's openness through his first declarations."
