Congolese rebels opened peace negotiations with a government delegation Monday in Nairobi in their first direct talks on ending the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The talks got under way around 3:30 pm (12:30 GMT) at the United Nations headquarters in the Kenyan capital, and officials said they could last until Wednesday.
"It’s an opportunity that should neither be lost nor wasted. Our aim is to see consensus on the way forward," said the UN special envoy to DR Congo, the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula told the delegations at the outset of the talks that he hoped both sides would be able "to put aside your differences and realise that you have only one Congo, and that the international community is here with you to encourage and assist you."
"Please don’t let Africa and your country down," he added.
The government delegation is led by International and Regional Cooperation Minister Raymond Tshibanda, while the five-man rebel delegation is headed by Serge Kambasu Ngeve, the deputy executive secretary for the CNDP.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki is chairing the talks session, said Wetangula.
The rebel leader, ex-general Laurent Nkunda, has said he is only interested in direct talks with the Congolese government, outside of the broader Amani programme – the January accord signed by all Congolese rebel groups.
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