Congo-Kinshasa: Kabila To Visit U.S.

29 January 2001
allAfrica.com
By Staff Reporter

Washington, DC — Joseph Kabila, the new president of the Democratic Republic of Congo will make a two-day visit to the United States the Department of State said Monday.

The official reason for the private visit is a national prayer breakfast to be held in Washington Thursday. That breakfast will be attended by president Bush, congressional leaders and other foreign dignataries, including the president of Rwanda, which neighbors Congo.

Rwanda has been backing the rebels that opposed Mr. Kabila's assasinated father, Laurent Kabila. Joseph Kabila was appointed successor to his father. Concern for the violently unraveling situation in the Congo hovers over Mr. Kabila's visit and will lead to meetings with National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice and other top White House and State Department officials who are concerned that the Congo's turmoil will lead to general instability throughout the region. The State Department press office refused to say whether Secretary of State Colin Powell would be meeting with Mr. Kabila.

Mr. Kabila will travel to New York for meetings with the United Nations Security Council before returning home. It is not clear, however, whether the Congo president will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan who is in Europe but due back in the United States Friday.

Rebels and the Congo goverment agreed to a cease-fire in 1999, but it has never been implemented.

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