DATE=5/26/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43499
TITLE=CONGO DEBATE
BYLINE=JOHN PITMAN
DATELINE=KINSHASA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: NEXT MONTH, THE GOVERNMENT IN CONGO-KINSHASA SAYS IT WILL
HOLD WHAT IT CALLS A "NATIONAL DEBATE" WITH THE POLITICAL
OPPOSITION AND THE REBELS WHO NOW CONTROL ALMOST HALF OF THE
COUNTRY. DETAILS ABOUT THE MEETING -- SUCH AS WHERE IT WILL BE
HELD, AND WHEN -- REMAIN SKETCHY. BUT AS VOA'S JOHN PITMAN
REPORTS FROM KINSHASA, THERE IS A GROWING CONSENSUS AMONG THE
CAPITAL'S POLITICAL CLASS THAT THE DEBATE MAY BE THE BEST HOPE TO
END YEARS OF POLITICAL GRIDLOCK.
TEXT: THE IDEA OF A NATIONAL DEBATE FOR CONGO IS NOT NEW. IN
FACT, ASK THE POLITICAL OPPOSITION IN KINSHASA ABOUT THE DEBATE'S
HISTORY, AND ALMOST EVERY PARTY WILL CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THE
ORIGINAL IDEA.
THE DEBATE TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH IS THE OUTGROWTH
OF TWO EARLIER, FAILED EFFORTS BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ORGANIZE A
FORUM WHERE IT COULD MEET ITS ARMED AND POLITICAL OPPONENTS
FACE-TO-FACE.
THE PREVIOUS EFFORTS WERE REJECTED BY THE OPPOSITION ON THE
GROUNDS THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD SELECTED NOT ONLY WHERE THE EVENT
WOULD BE HELD AND WHO WOULD MODERATE IT, BUT HAD ALSO CHOSEN WHO
WOULD ATTEND.
/// OPT /// IN LATE APRIL, ANTOINE GIZENGA, AN OPPOSITION PARTY
LEADER, WROTE AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT LAURENT KABILA TO
PROTEST WHAT HE CALLED THE GOVERNMENT'S "CYNICAL, CASUAL AND
VEXING" PREPARATIONS FOR THE DEBATE.
/// OPT /// MR. GIZENGA WAS JOINED BY CONGO'S LONG-TIME
OPPOSITION LEADER ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI IN REJECTING THE
GOVERNMENT'S INVITATION. BOTH LEADERS -- AS WELL AS THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE ARMED REBELLION -- CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO
ALLOW THEM TO HELP PLAN THE DEBATE. /// END OPT ///
DR. KABAMBA MBWEBWE IS THE CHIEF OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT
KINSHASA GENERAL HOSPITAL, AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE "PATRIOTIC
FRONT" PARTY. HE SAYS THE PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO
CHOOSE THEIR OWN REPRESENTATIVES.
/// KABAMBA ACT IN FRENCH -- ESTABLISH AND FADE ///
DR. MBWEBWE SAYS THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CHOOSE ITS OWN PEOPLE,
THE OPPOSITION AND THE REBELS SHOULD CHOOSE THEIR OWN PEOPLE, AND
THE DIASPORA SHOULD CHOOSE THEIR PEOPLE. HE ADDS ALL OF THESE
GROUPS SHOULD THEN MEET IN A PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. WITHOUT
THAT, HE SAYS, THERE WON'T BE A REAL NATIONAL DEBATE.
FOR ITS PART, THE GOVERNMENT SAYS IT IS RESTRUCTURING ITS PLANS
FOR THE NATIONAL DEBATE. INFORMATION MINISTER DIDIER MUMENGI
SAYS A DATE FOR THE ENCOUNTER HAS NOT YET BEEN SET BECAUSE THE
GOVERNMENT WANTS TO ENSURE THE PREPARATIONS SUCCEED IN GETTING
ALL THE PARTIES ON BOARD FIRST.
THE PREVIOUS DEBATES WERE TO HAVE BEEN HELD IN ROME OR IN KENYA.
OBSERVERS SAY ROME AGAIN APPEARS TO BE THE LEADING CITY TO HOST
THE TALKS IN JUNE. INFORMATION MINISTER DIDIER MUMENGI SAYS THE
CATHOLIC MISSION CALLED SANT'EGIDIO -- WHICH IS BASED IN ROME,
AND WHICH HELPED NEGOTIATE AN END TO MOZAMBIQUE'S CIVIL WAR --
WILL MODERATE THE TALKS, WITH HELP FROM THE ORGANIZATION OF
AFRICAN UNITY AND THE COMMUNITY OF FRANCOPHONE COUNTRIES.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN THIS PREPARATORY STAGE IS
SETTING THE DEBATE'S AGENDA. WILL IT, FOR INSTANCE, FOCUS SOLELY
ON POLITICAL QUESTIONS, OR WILL THE TALKS ALSO TRY TO HAMMER OUT
A CEASE-FIRE AND AN END TO THE WAR IN THE EAST?
/// OPT /// SOME OPPOSITION LEADERS WOULD ALSO LIKE THE
GOVERNMENT TO MAKE A PRACTICAL SHOW OF GOOD FAITH BEFORE THE
DEBATE. OMARI LEA SISI IS A FORMER REGIONAL GOVERNOR AND MEMBER
OF THE LATE PRESIDENT MOBUTU SESE SEKO'S FORMER RULING PARTY. HE
SAYS MR. KABILA SHOULD FOLLOW THE TRANSITION MODEL SET OUT BY
NIGERIA'S MILITARY LEADER ABDULSALAMI ABUBAKAR.
/// OPT SISI ACT -- IN FRENCH; ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER ///
MR. SISI SAYS MR. KABILA DOESN'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NATIONAL
DEBATE TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH THE REBELS, OR LIBERALIZE
POLITICAL LIFE, OR RELEASE POLITICAL PRISONERS. HE ADDS, IF HE
DID THESE THINGS, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WOULD RESPOND
FAVORABLY, AND THE DIALOGUE WOULD LEAD TO SOLUTIONS. /// END OPT
///
INFORMATION MINISTER DIDIER MUMENGI SAYS FOR ITS PART, THE
GOVERNMENT WOULD LIKE THE DEBATE TO FOCUS ON BUILDING A LEGAL
FRAMEWORK FOR A NEW CONSTITUTION.
/// MUMENGI ACT -- IN FRENCH; ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER ///
MR. MUMENGI SAYS THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS GOVERNING POLITICAL
PARTIES WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE DEBATE.
/// OPT /// AFTERWARDS, HE SAYS, THERE WILL BE A REFERENDUM ON
THE CONSTITUTION. AS FOR THE LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES, HE SAYS
THE CURRENT LAW WILL BE OPEN FOR DISCUSSION AT THE DEBATE, AND
MAY BE MODIFIED OR AMENDED. /// END OPT ///
ONCE THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED, HE SAYS, AN ELECTORAL CALENDAR WILL BE
DRAWN UP AND ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD AS SOON AS THE WAR IS OVER.
THE OPPOSITION SEEMS TO AGREE THAT THE DEBATE SHOULD FOCUS ON
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES. BUT WHICH CONSTITUTION SHOULD THE DEBATE
USE AS A FOUNDATION? ON ONE SIDE, LAURENT KABILA'S GOVERNMENT
HAS DRAWN UP A DRAFT CONSTITUTION. BUT FOR MANY IN THE
OPPOSITION, THE NATIONAL DEBATE SHOULD USE THE DOCUMENT PRODUCED
BY THE COUNTRY'S SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS HELD
UNDER FORMER PRESIDENT MOBUTU SESE SEKU'S TRANSITION PROGRAM IN
THE EARLY 1990S.
JOSEPH MUKENDI IS A POLITICAL ADVISOR TO OPPOSITION LEADER
ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI. HE SAYS WHATEVER SUPPORT THE OPPOSITION HAS
GIVEN MR. KABILA SINCE 1997 HAS BEEN BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT
HE WOULD RECOGNIZE THE SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE.
HE SAYS MR. KABILA CAN'T IGNORE THE RESULTS OF THE CONFERENCE,
EVEN THOUGH THOSE RESULTS ARE NOW EIGHT YEARS OLD. STILL, MR.
MUKENDI SAYS HE BELIEVES THE TWO SIDES WILL EVENTUALLY FIND
COMMON GROUND.
/// OPT MUKENDI ACT -- IN FRENCH; ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER ///
/// OPT /// MR. MUKENDI SAYS WHAT HAS BEEN MISSING IN THE CONGO
EVER SINCE MR. KABILA TOOK OVER TWO YEARS AGO HAS BEEN DIALOGUE.
HE ADDS THAT HE BELIEVES THE NATIONAL DEBATE WILL, IN HIS WORDS,
ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT AND THE OPPOSITION TO "BREAK THE ICE, AND
SEE THAT THE WATER FLOWING BENEATH IT IS THE SAME ON BOTH SIDES."
/// END OPT ///
FOREIGN DIPLOMATS IN KINSHASA SAY A SUCCESSFUL DEBATE WILL BE
CRITICAL NOT ONLY FOR CONGO, BUT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AFRICA.
THEY SAY ONCE THE DETAILS OF THE DEBATE ARE FINALIZED, THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY COULD HELP COVER SOME OF THE FINANCIAL
COSTS TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE PARTIES CAN ATTEND. (SIGNED)
NEB/JP/PCF/PLM
26-May-99 6:02 AM EDT (1002 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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