Kabila's government is obstacle to peace agreement, panel says

LUSAKA, Zambia (Reuters) -- The government of President Laurent Kabila is a major stumbling block to the implementation of a peace agreement in his Democratic Republic of Congo, a ministerial committee overseeing the pact said on Saturday.

The Political Committee, which comprises ministers and senior officials from all sides in the Congo conflict, suggested that the peace agreement reached in the Zambian capital of Lusaka a year ago was now in serious danger.

It said Kabila's government had prevented negotiator Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana from starting an all-party national dialogue on the country's future, violated a cease-fire agreement and had not created a conducive environment for the deployment of U.N. forces.

"(The Political Committee) expressed grave concern over the deliberate actions of the Democratic Republic of Congo government which have undermined or obstructed the implementation of some crucial aspects of the agreement," the committee said in a statement.

The committee called for a heads-of-state summit to resolve the many problems posed by Kabila's administration.

The last summit was held in February and set up a timetable for the deployment of U.N. troops. However, those guarantees came to nothing as cease-fire violations escalated instead.

Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola are fighting alongside Kabila's forces while former allies Rwanda and Uganda support splintered rebel groups trying to end Kabila's rule.

Zambia is also leading talks to end the conflict and is being assisted by officials from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations.

Masire, a former Botswana president, addressed the Committee on Friday. He accused Kabila's government of placing impediments in his way and said political dialogue in which all parties were involved was key to resolving the Congo's political chaos.

Speaking privately, ministers from belligerent countries deplored an escalation of fighting in the Equator and northern regions of the Congo, between Kabila's forces and the Uganda-backed rebel Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC).

The fighting there, as well as skirmishes in May and June between Ugandan and Rwandan troops in the Congo city of Kisangani had dented any hopes for a faster implementation of the Lusaka accords, one senior minister said.

Uganda and Rwanda have since pulled back from Kisangani.

Zambian Presidential Affairs Minister Eric Silwamba, a key figure in the Congo negotiations, said on Thursday the latest fighting severely threatened the Lusaka agreement.

The Political Committee also discussed serious financial problems faced by the Joint Military Commission (JMC) set up under the Lusaka agreement, but did not offer a solution.

The JMC comprises senior military officials from belligerent countries and rebel groups and is charged with implementing the cease-fire agreement and investigating any violations.

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