CENTRAL AFRICA: JOSEPH KABILA CHOOSES PEACE

The new President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, General Joseph Kabila, has already started to leave his mark on a country which he inherited only last week from his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, who was assassinated. His first declarations in Kinshasa pleased his business community, as he declared that he intended to liberalise the economy and end the war economy. Now, he declares that he will cooperate closely with the Organization of African Unity and is interested in impletemting the terms of the Lusaca agreement. The agreement was signed in July, 1999 between the six countries involved in the conflict: DR Congo, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Rwanda. These last two control the rebel forces. The Rwandan government has increased its communication channels between Kigali and Kinshasa, “to cease hostilities as soon as possible”. It seems there is hope yet for this troubled region.

TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.RU LISBON