Kabila rejects Lusaka accord

President Kabila is blamed for violating the Lusaka peace accord

Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila has said he will not honour the Lusaka peace accord as it does not take into consideration the sovereignty of Congo.

President Kabila told the BBC that his country had been invaded by forces from Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and no country had condemned them.

Mr Kabila said it was up to the Congolese to talk peace.

He defended the presence of forces from Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe, saying they were there to support him against the invaders and would leave when asked to do so.

The Congolese president also reiterated his objections to the mediator in the Congo conflict, former president Kitumile Masire, saying he had not been chosen by any of the warring factions and was therefore totally unacceptable.

A ceasefire deal signed last year in Lusaka has failed to take hold, and talks last week aimed at ending the conflict collapsed.

Parliament

Earlier, the United Nations Security Council criticised President Kabila for unilaterally inaugurating a new transitional parliament.

Rebels are opposed to Kabila's Lubumbashi assembly

The UN said the decision showed a lack of commitment to the Lusaka peace accord, which demands full participation by all factions in the country's political structures.

The UN's special envoy to the Democratic Repubic of Congo, Abdusalami Abubakar, is expected to meet President Kabila on Tuesday to discuss the ailing peace process.

President Kabila inaugurated the assembly on Monday, in the country's south-eastern town of Lubumbashi.

The rebels who control about half the country, said his action was a violation of the peace deal which calls for a national dialogue to decide the country's future.

Mr Kabila announced the creation of a 300-member transition parliament last May after three years of ruling the country by decree.