<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="update" width="81%">Wednesday, 29th October 2008</td>
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<td colspan="2" class="lead_title">Kabila sends special envoy to Kagame</td>
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<td colspan="2" class="lead_title"><img src="http://www.newtimes.co.rw/photos/13698-front.jpg" border="1"><br>
<div class="pic_caption" style="padding-right: 8px;">Amb. Joseph Mutaboba (L) chats with DRC Foreign Affairs Minister, Thambwe Mwamba.(PPU photo)</div>
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<td colspan="2" class="lead_title">BY KENNEDY NDAHIRO</td>
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<td colspan="2" class="lead_body"><p><strong>VILLAGE URUGWIRO - </strong>DRC President Joseph Kabila Tuesday sent a special message to President Paul Kagame.</p> <p>The message was delivered by Kabila’s new Foreign Affairs minister, Alexis Thambwe Mwamba, at Village Urugwiro .</p> <p>The
President’s Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, Ambassador Joseph
Mutaboba, revealed that Kabila’s message dwelt on the current volatile
situation in North Kivu, where the DRC government is struggling to
contain rebels of the National Congress for the Defence of the People
(CNDP).</p> <p>Kabila also sounded out on the possibility of both Heads of State meeting to discuss outstanding issues.</p> <p>Kagame
reportedly sent back a message to Kabila that CNDP was not Rwanda’s
problem and that it was a Congolese internal matter that only they
could resolve.</p> <p>“The President however reiterated his concerns of
the continued alliance between the DRC government and the rebel
militia, Democratic Front for Libration of Rwanda (FDLR), who are a
security menace to Rwanda,” said Ambassador Mutaboba who attended the
meeting.</p> <p>Kagame is said to have reminded Kabila of the several
engagements that the DRC has failed to honour, in regards to the
Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and
Reintegration (DDRR), of the FDLR as agreed, among them in the Lusaka,
Pretoria and Nairobi agreements. DRC has failed to implement any of
them. </p> <p>On the issue of a potential Summit between the two Heads
of State, Kagame replied that it was not the priority at the moment. He
said that implementing what was agreed before was more important in
order to avoid piling more agreements that would remain dead letters.</p> <p>However
President Kagame suggested a way forward: both Presidents could
continue having consultations by phone as they usually do, and that an
exchange of envoys could pave the way forward to a face-to-face
meeting. </p> <p>Alexis Thambwe Mwamba was appointed Foreign Affairs minister over the weekend, replacing Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi.</p> <p><strong>Ends</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></table><br>