03 12 13 Voice of America: Congo's President in Uganda in Bid to Revive Stalled Peace Deal

Kinshasa and
the M23 rebels failed to seal a deal last month after wrangling over what it
should be called. The rebels were ready to sign a peace agreement, but Congo's
negotiators wanted to call it a declaration reflecting the rebels' defeat.

“I think [Kabila] wants to breathe new life into the process … Uganda would implore DRC to sign this agreement
with the rebels,” Uganda
government spokesman, Ofwono Opondo, told Reuters.

M23 are the latest incarnation of Tutsi-led insurgents who for years have
fought Congo's government in
eastern regions near the border with Uganda
and Rwanda,
amid unrest fueled by ethnicity, local politics and competition over land and
mineral wealth.

When November's deal was called off at the eleventh hour, Congo blamed mediator Uganda, accusing it of supporting
the rebels.

The Kinshasa government's accusations against
neighboring Uganda and its
failure to conclude a political deal highlight the deep-rooted regional
tensions that are complicating efforts to end Congo's most serious rebellion in a
decade.

Kabila's visit to Uganda,
where he will meet with his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, comes after a
10-day tour of the main towns in eastern Congo.

During a Nov. 26 stop in Bunia, a town in Congo's far northeast, U.N.-backed
Radio Okapi reported Kabila said he believed a solution to the dialog with M23
could be completed by Dec. 15.

Kabila reiterated Kinshasa's position that Congo was
seeking a statement from the rebels declaring the end of the movement. M23,
however, has sought an “agreement” with the government.