The main rebel group active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said Monday it would not attend a meeting in Gabon later this week aimed at paving the way for inter-Congolese dialogue.
"Our movement will not take part in the meeting because we do not understand why (DRC President Laurent) Kabila wants there to be talks outside the Lusaka accords," said Adolphe Olusumba, leader of the Rwandan-backed Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD).
All major parties to the two-year-old DRC war, which also include Uganda on the side of the rebels, and Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia on Kabila's side, are signatories to a cease-fire deal concluded in July 1999 in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
Thursday's meeting in Gabon was meant to bring together Kabila, rebels and unarmed opposition groups.
Another rebel group, the Ugandan-backed Congo Liberation Movement, has already said it would go not to Gabon because it too felt the meeting fell outside of the Lusaka framework -- KIGALI (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
