Congolese President to meet rebel leaders

Congolese President Joseph Kabila will meet leaders from the country's two main rebel groups later this month.

A rebel spokesman says they will discuss the fighting in eastern Congo and narrow differences before talks on the country's political future.

Rebel leaders will press Kabila to cut his government's support for Rwandan rebels operating in eastern Congo.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on January 14 in Malawi during a 14-nation Southern African Development Community summit, says Jean Pierre Lola Kisanga, the spokesman for the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy.

The Rwandan rebels are fighting Congolese rebels backed by Rwanda's government.

Congo's civil-war broke out in August 1998 when Rwanda and Uganda backed Congolese rebels attempting to oust then-President Laurent Kabila, accusing him of threatening regional security by arming Rwandan and Ugandan rebels.

Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia sent troops to support the government.

Although a 1999 peace-agreement has gained momentum since Laurent Kabila's assassination last January and the succession of his son Joseph, fighting between Congolese and Rwandan rebels in eastern Congo has continued.

The Rwandan rebels fled to Congo after carrying out the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which more than 500,000 people were killed and have fought alongside Congolese government troops in Congo's war.

The Congolese political dialogue is intended to pave the way for the introduction of representative government in Congo after four decades of corrupt dictatorship. It is called for by the 1999 peace accord signed by all warring parties.