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DR Congo opposition agrees to join national dialogue

Xinhua, April 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS, opposition) has accepted to take part in the national political dialogue convened by Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) President Joseph Kabila.

The party's position was communicated in a statement issued Monday by its chairman Etienne Tshisekedi who is in Brussels for medical reasons.

"I still believe that dialogue is the best route for the country to come out of the electoral impassse in which Kinshasa authorities have plunged us," the veteran opposition leader said.

"I will therefore send my delegation to the chosen facilitator, ex-Togolese Prime Minister Edem Kodjo, to get consensus between his mission and the roadmap I published over a year ago on behalf of my party," he said.

"If between now and April 24, there will be nothing concrete, I will ask my party, civil society groups and all the people to take any appropriate action to end the impasse that we know was artificially created by the government," Tshisekedi said in the statement.

Just like other opposition parties, UDPS had rejected dialogue convened by Kabila, instead asking the international community to appoint a special envoy to lead the dialogue that is expected to discuss electoral issues.

On April 6, the chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma appointed Kodjo to lead the dialogue convened by Kabila. Endit