Philadelphia, United States — The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila, has again pledged to hold elections in his country, which has been at war since 1998. But the Congolese leader stressed that a national poll would not be possible unless "all foreign troops" withdrew "from our territory as a prerequisite to the successful organization of such elections."
His remarks came in a keynote speech on Tuesday, to the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Philadelphia, the largest ever gathering of U.S. and African business and government leaders ever to come together on U.S. soil (outside the United Nations in New York).
Kabila, who came to power in January after the assassination of his father, President Laurent Kabila, was referring to military units from both Uganda and Rwanda who are known to be supporting Congolese rebels across their frontiers with the Congo.
A United Nations report has accused Rwanda and Uganda of exploiting Congos enormous mineral resources, a charge denied by both Kampala and Kigali.
Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia came to the rescue of the Congolese government at the start of the rebellion in August 1998, sending in troops to shore up the beleaguered administration of the late Laurent Kabila.
President Joseph Kabila told African and American business leaders, at the summit organized by the Corporate Council on Africa, that a peaceful Congo would mean security and stability at the heart of the continent, and allow the huge region to re-open for business and investment.
"Our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo has a very strategic position in the central African region, from the point of view of business opportunities," said Kabila. "With a population of around 50 million, the DRC shares boundaries with 9 countries, to which it is linked by a wealth of internal waterways and roads. This makes it a natural hub for the efficient location of investment, both local and foreign."
In search of a lasting solution to the three-year conflict in Congo, the Inter-Congolese Dialogue (ICD) between Kabilas government, political opponents, the armed groups and civil society, finally began in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa in mid-October.
The talks were scheduled to continue for a month and a half, but broke down after just one week when Kabila withdrew his delegation because of what was described as the lack of a "quorum". Of the 320 delegates who were expected to take part in the Dialogue, only seventy attended.
On Tuesday, Joseph Kabila said that the talks would continue in South Africa "in order to iron out our differences and map out the countrys political future." He said that only the people of Congo could ultimately decide who should govern them.
Addressing hundreds of lunchtime guests at the Business Summit in Philadelphia, the Congolese leader said it was a fact that war, terrorism and political instabilities affected business opportunities. "With peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is a potential to create a sizeable internal market of more than 100 million consumers, when put in its regional context," he said. "Half of these consumers come from the Democratic Republic of Congo itself".
A delegation of senior government officials, as well as a strong contingent from the Congolese business community, have accompanied Kabila to Philadelphia.
Repeating a call by other African leaders for the continent to catch up with advances in the rest of the world, Kabila warned that his region and the DRC in particular, were lagging behind. "In the process, (we) have been marginalized by both global politics and the world economy. It is against this backdrop that we have decided to restructure our political landscape to make it easier for our country and the region as a whole to be reintegrated into the global economy."
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"Peace is therefore the bedrock of whatever regional integration we are attempting to build," concluded Kabila. He said that comprehensive policy reform had come into force in the DRC since he was installed as president and "our continued commitment to peace and democracy should help qualify our country for eligibility for the (U.S.) African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). We intend to work with the U.S. administration to this effect".
The Congolese president said that Kinshasa had already liberalised the price of petroleum products and stabilised currency exchange rates, adding that new investment and mining codes were in the works. He stressed that the private sector in Congo would also be strengthened to ensure the revival of the ailing economy.
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