Kinshasa suspends peace process

Signs of peace now seem remote

The Democratic Republic of Congo has announced the suspension of the Lusaka peace accord, which was aimed at ending the country's two-year civil war.

The announcement on Wednesday by Human Rights Minister Leonard She Okitundu has been interpreted as a serious blow to the peace process.

It comes shortly after the departure of the UN's special envoy to the DR Congo, Abdusalami Abubakar, who was in the country to discuss the ailing peace process.

Rebels are opposed to Kabila's Lubumbashi assembly

The government in Kinshasa is fighting against rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda, who have seized control of the eastern half of the country.

Mr Okitundu said the government's decision to suspend the peace accord was motivated by fighting between Ugandan and Rwandan troops in Kisangani, as well as the ongoing looting of Congolese resources by Rwanda and Uganda.

He said that in their current form the peace accords no longer reflected the reality of the situation in the country.

Summit proposed

Making a sharp distinction between the international and domestic aspects of the conflict, Mr Okitundu instead proposed the holding of a quadrapartite summit between Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Congo to discuss the various countries security concerns and the withdrawal of all non-invited foreign troops.

Kabila: Issue of sovreignty

In order to resolve the domestic aspect of the war, Mr Okitundu said that the government must hold a dialogue with the armed and unarmed opposition - a proposal also included in the Lusaka peace accords.

Our correspondent Stephanie Walters says that it is highly unlikely that Kinshasa's opponents will accept its latest proposals, and that as a result, today's announcement makes a quick return to peace in the Congo look more elusive than ever.

'Invasion'

On Tuesday, President Laurent Kabila said he would not honour the Lusaka accord as it did 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.

Abubakar: Failed to sway Kabila

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 Botswana President Ketumile Masire, saying he had not been chosen by any of the warring factions and was therefore totally unacceptable.

Mr Kabila's opponents have accused his own forces of breaching the ceasefire.

And the United Nations Security Council has criticised the president for unilaterally inaugurating a new transitional parliament.

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.