UN envoy holds talks with DR Congo's rebel leader

UN special envoy Olusegun Obasanjo met on Saturday with rebel leader Laurent Nkunda in a bid to end the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as more clashes were reported.

Afterwards he said they were "able to advance the cause of peace," adding that he was "hopeful."

Clad in traditional African dress, Obasanjo shook hands with Nkunda, who was in similar costume, before the two men began closed-door talks at a Roman Catholic parish hall in the rebel-held town of Jomba.

The former Nigerian president was greeted with fanfare by members of Nkunda's National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) rebel group, after arriving here by helicopter early in the afternoon.

Before his arrival from the eastern Nord-Kivu capital of Goma, Obasanjo told AFP that he wanted peace from Nkunda.

He told reporters on arriving back in Goma, "Today we were able to advance the cause of peace. You will be seeing when it unfolds."

Asked if he was optimistic, he said, "hopeful".

Obasanjo said that President Joseph Kabila, whom he met in Kinshasa Friday, had not ruled out talks between the CNDP and the governement.

The rebels insist they are respecting a ceasefire, despite clashes with pro-government Mai-Mai militia that sent thousands of civilians fleeing into neighbouring Uganda on Friday.

Asked if he would demand that the CNDP halt such operations against the militia, Obasanjo said before meeting Nkunda, "I want peace from him, whatever that entails."

However the United Nations mission in Congo, known as MONUC, said that more fighting had taken place between the rebels and the Mai-Mai on the edge of Masisi, some 50 kilometres west of Goma, on Saturday.

The militia had abandoned Masisi, causing a wave of panic in the town, and UN peacekeepers had intervened, making contact with both sides, MONUC spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich said.

Earlier, Obasanjo told reporters as he arrived in Goma that he intended to ask Nkunda questions before deciding on the next step in his UN-sponsored peace mission.

During his last meeting with Nkunda, Obasanjo handed the rebel leader a list of eight demands. He said at the time that Nkunda was "a reasonable man who can listen and react to persuasion."

Shortly before the latest round of talks, Nkunda apologised for the behaviour of his fighters before several hundred villagers.

"I'm sorry if the soldiers behaved badly and I will always try to instill more discipline," Nkunda said, making veiled reference to UN accusations that his men had committed "odious crimes" against civilians.

Obasanjo was accompanied by another African ex-president, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, who is representing the African Union.

Mkapa said he wanted to get the measure of Nkunda, who claims he is protecting the local Tutsi population in eastern Nord-Kivu province.

"I'm going to listen to him," Mkapa said. "I want to know how he thinks we can get the restoration of peace, stability and unity in this country."

On Friday, Mkapa declined to go into details of the envoys' talks with Kabila, but suggested it was unlikely that Nkunda would achieve his aim of direct talks with the DR Congo president.

"Dialogue does not necessarily have to start at the top," he said.

The talks have been overshadowed by renewed fighting, after rebels seized the town of Ishasha near the Ugandan border after clashes with the Mai-Mai.

The rebel movement however said Friday it was ready to retreat to its original position if UN peacekeepers secured the area.

The UN refugee agency said an estimated 13,000 people had fled across the border into Uganda in recent days.

The CNDP has maintained its ceasefire with government forces, but continues to clash with pro-government militias and Rwandan rebels in Nord-Kivu.

The Mai-Mai on Friday accused the rebels of attacking on five fronts.

Obasanjo was also due to hold talks with Mai-Mai representatives in Goma later on Saturday after his meeting with Nkunda.

Long-simmering tensions between the Kinshasa government and Nkunda spilled over into a new conflict in August, displacing some 250,000 people and creating a humanitarian disaster.

UN peacekeepers in the country have struggled to bring calm to the area.

Congolese troops have been accused of carrying out looting sprees, while the rebels are also alleged to have committed atrocities.