GABORONE, Botswana (PANA) - A three-day preparatory meeting for the Democratic Republic of Congo peace process will take place in the first week of June, according to former Botswana President Sir Ketumile Masire.
Masire, who is the facilitator in the inter-Congolese dialogue, said in a statement that the parties to the Lusaka peace accord would attend the 5-7 June meeting.

Others to attend include political groups and representatives of civil society.

The meeting is part of the consultative process aimed at creating conditions necessary for national dialogue in Congo where the government of President Laurent-Desire Kabila with the support of Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe is facing a rebel onslaught backed by Rwanda and Uganda.

So far, Masire has claimed that he has been frustrated in his peace efforts especially by the DRC government, which has implicitly accused him of favouring the rebels.

Recently, he left the DRC capital Kinshasa in a huff after the government gave him a hostile reception.

The Botswana government, which hopes that it will be reimbursed by the international community, is currently financing Masire's efforts.

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