Diplomatic efforts continue to end the violence in the easternDemocratic Republic of Congo. The United Nations mediator is due tomeet Friday with Congolese rebels and travel to Rwanda after meetingThursday with Congolese officials in Kinshasa.
United Nationsmediator Olusegun Obasanjo's visit to Kinshasa, Goma and Kigali isaimed at ending the violence that has killed hundreds of people anddisplaced one-quarter million in the past four months.
Theformer Nigerian president is seeking to build on an agreement signedlast month by Rwandan and Congolese defense ministers to disarm aRwandan Hutu militia that has been clashing with forces of Congoleserebel leader Laurent Nkunda.
The mission comes as direct talks began between the rebels and the Congolese government in Kenya.
Inan interview with VOA Swahili Service Nkunda expressed optimism overthe talks. "There is a will. There is a good will and I think throughthe good will and talks we can get solutions," he said.
Thediplomatic efforts intensified late last year after Nkunda's troopsclashed with Congolese government forces and Rwandan Hutu militia. Themilitia, which opposed the government in Kigali, entered eastern Congoafter participating in the Rwandan genocide of ethnic Tutsis in 1994.
Humanitarian groups say they are struggling to deliver aid to thousands of civilians displaced by the violence.
TheUnited Nations Mission to Congo has deployed 17,000 peacekeepers acrossthe vast country but only a fraction of these are in the zone ofconflict.
Belgium and France have proposed sending severalthousand European Union peacekeepers to bolster the U.N. forces butBritain and Germany say other measures should be tried first.
Nkundasays sending more foreign troops is not the solution. "I tell them tobring what they can to help us for talks, not for war," he said."Because when I hear them bringing troops instead of bringingnegotiations and maybe a help in ideas for raising our economy, I cansay let the international community help us to have a good leadership."
Nkundaended a tenuous cease-fire in September accusing Congolese governmenttroops of attacking ethnic Tutsi's in eastern Congo and charging theU.N. Mission with a lack of impartiality, charges which were rejected.
TheCongolese government accuses Rwanda of supporting the Nkunda rebelswhile Rwanda accuses Congo of supporting the Rwanda militias. Bothgovernments deny the accusations.
International observers saymeasures are needed to build mutual trust and allow for the disarmamentof the various armed groups before a durable peace can be established.
Butthe Congolese government's lack of control over the region thousands ofkilometers from Kinshasa and the continuing exploitation of its naturalresources by the combatants are major obstacles.