Congo peace talks before Xmas
2008-12-10 09:12
Nairobi - A UN envoy leading peace negotiations between the Congolese government and rebels says he believes "substantive talks" between the two sides will begin before December 25.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Tuesday that preliminary talks between lower level representatives of Congolese President Joseph Kabila and rebel Laurent Nkunda "are making progress" and more senior representatives will meet soon.
The talks aim to end a conflict that has displaced 250 000 people since the latest rebel offensive in August.
Nkunda claims he is protecting Congolese Tutsis from the remains of genocidal Hutu forces who fled into Congo's forests after the 1994 genocide.
The Hutu forces are not included in the talks but Obasanjo said they could be if both the government and Nkunda agreed.
- AP