Bemba Meets Euro Ministers

Jan 23, 2002

Congolese Liberation Movement chief Jean-Pierre Bemba yesterday held a meeting with the British foreign secretary Jack Straw and his French counterpart, Hubert Vedrine, in Kampala, reports Emmy Allio.

Congolese Liberation Movement chief Jean-Pierre Bemba yesterday held a meeting with the British foreign secretary Jack Straw and his French counterpart, Hubert Vedrine, in Kampala, reports Emmy Allio.They discussed the Inter Congolese Dialogue meeting slated for South Africa next month. “We discussed the main stumbling blocks to the peace process in Congo, especially the behaviour of the Kinshasa government towards the peace process. President Joseph Kabila is just playing games with the peace process,” Bemba said after the meeting.He also met EU envoys accredited to Uganda at the Danish embassy. Denmark represents Spain which holds the EU presidency. “I briefed the ministers and envoys on provocation and cease-fire violations by the Kinshasa government and her allies, especially against my soldiers on the Mbandaka front,” he said.Bemba said, “We agreed that for peace to return to Congo and other countries in the Great Lakes region, the Congo peace process must be concluded urgently.” Straw and Vedrine had been to Kinshasa, Bujumbura and Kigali. They met President Yoweri Museveni yesterday.The ministers were on a mission to promote peace in the region. The visit is the second by French and British foreign ministers since their countries agreed in 1998 to bury their rivalry which dates back to the colonial era and work together for peace in Africa.Ends

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