13 11 13 AFP: DR Congo peace deal teeters on brink after talks collapse

International
efforts to stabilise the African nation's conflict-prone and mineral-rich east
were dealt a blow late Monday as the government and defeated M23 rebels did not
achieve a much hoped-for agreement.

And
despite efforts by neighbouring Uganda
to mediate an end to the 18-month insurgency, "we are not
optimistic", one diplomat told AFP.

DR Congo's
Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda has already left the talks for Kinshasa and his team
will follow shortly afterwards, a senior official said.

"We
have just sent money for the rest of the delegation to settle their hotel bills
and come back," this official told AFP.

Ugandan
diplomats had said earlier they were expecting a new round of talks and
government spokesman Ofwono Opondo insisted the lONG-running negotiations
"have not been officially called off".

The talks
fell through after Kinshasa
demanded what the M23 rebels said were "unacceptable" changes to the
draft text of an accord.

According
to diplomatic sources, DR Congo came under heavy international pressure to sign
the deal anyway, but Kinshasa
argued that recent military victories over the rebels had changed the context.

Backed by
the UN mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), the army routed the rebels, forcing
many to flee over the border to Uganda.

With
support from Rwanda
dwindling in the face of international pressure, the M23 announced last week
that its 18-month insurgency was over.

The UN
has accused Uganda and Rwanda of
backing the rebels, a charge both countries deny.

Rebels
'can still regroup'

A key
outstanding issue is the fate of the fighters from the M23 group — a mainly
ethnic Tutsi force of mutineers from the Congolese army — now in Uganda.

More
complicated still is what should happen to some 100 M23 commanders and
officers, including leader Sultani Makenga, who stands accused of participating
in several massacres, mutilations, abductions and sexual violence, sometimes
against children.

According
to Ugandan officials, the text on the table on Monday envisaged that most
soldiers — with the exception of some 100 — could be reintegrated into the
army if they wished.

Those
accused of "serious crimes", such as crimes against humanity,
genocide or rape, would stand trial in DR Congo or an international court.

But the
government side "did not at all want to sign" this deal, one diplomat
said.

"The
goal is that what had already been discussed — and that is still relevant —
should be implemented," one top official from DR Congo said, ruling out
any reintegration into the army for former rebels.

The lack
of a deal on Monday was a disappointment to many in the international
community, who had hoped it would be a key step towards building peace in the
troubled region.

UN
special envoy to the Great Lakes Mary Robinson, the UN secretary-general's
special representative Martin Kobler, and US special envoy Russ Feingold
voiced regret that the signing had not happened.

But they
noted in a joint statement that the parties involved "expressed no
differences on substantive points within the draft document".

"Any
solution must allow the pursuit of accountability for those who have committed
war crimes," added the statement, also signed by African Union and EU
officials.

Opondo
said Uganda would continue to host Makenga until a peace deal was struck, at
which point the UN and US sanctioned leader would be "forwarded to the
appropriate authorities", without clarifying exactly who that might be.

"He
is not a prisoner, he surrendered himself … If you are being sanctioned by
the UN, it does not remove from you your international rights to be
protected," he said.

"As
of now, we have received no (arrest) request and even if we had, we would not
have proceeded until the agreement is signed."

Even if a
deal is signed, stabilising eastern DR Congo will not be easy, with several
other rebel groups still operating. Previous deals have foundered because they
were not implemented or did not address underlying problems.

And
government spokesman Opondo warned the rebels "can still regroup" if
a lasting solution is not found.