Secretary-General calls in African leaders for talks on DR of Congo

Capitalizing on recent "positive developments" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for tomorrow a high-level meeting on the war-torn country.

The meeting is being convened to build on the recent positive developments in and around the DRC, including the establishment of a Government of National Unity and Transition, with the aim of turning a new page in relations among regional neighbours, according to a background note issued by a spokesman for the Secretary-General.

The meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, being held on the sidelines of the General Assembly's annual high-level debate, is expected to include the Presidents of Burundi, the DRC and Mozambique, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and the Foreign Ministers of Angola, South Africa and Tanzania.

The discussions will focus on "reestablishment of good neighbourly relations and resumption of bilateral arrangements between the States of the Great Lakes Region," according to the note.