Congolese Dialogue Session ignores general amnesty call

Brazzaville, Congo - The rapporteur of Congo's all-inclusive national dialogue, Zacharie Bowao, has ruled out the declaration of a general amnesty demanded by internal and exiled opposition groups.
Bowao revealed this in Brazzaville Friday during a briefing on the second phase of the dialogue which has been under way in the Congolese capital since Wednesday.

According to him, the issue was covered under the amnesty law promulgated by President Denis Sassou Nguesso for former militiamen and others involved in the civil wars who accepted to lay down their arms and renounce violence.

The Paris-based Patriotic Front for dialogue and national reconciliation and a grouping of 14 internal opposition parties, as well as the former armed rebel group, the National Resistance Council, had demanded a general amnesty for all exiled political leaders.

They also called for the formation of a government of national unity, charged with the organisation of free and fair elections, and the institution of a new transition administration, in which all the country's political forces would be involved.

Opposition groups threatened to boycott the signing of the convention for peace and national reconstruction in Congo on Saturday if the presidium ignores their proposals.

However, according to Bowao, all the opposition suggestions have been taken into account and would be submitted to the government for consideration.

"Most of the proposals are aimed at improving the draft constitution", adopted Thursday by the 1,570 delegates to the second phase of the national dialogue.

The session was suspended Friday to allow authorities to receive foreign delegations coming to witness the signing ceremony of the national convention.

President Omar Bongo of Gabon, the international mediator in the Congolese conflict, arrived in Brazzaville late Friday to witness the end of the national dialogue and the signing of the national convention.

Opposition representatives met presidents Bongo and his host, Denis Sassou Nguesso, to submit their proposals.

"We are in touch with the two presidents and we are waiting to see whether our suggestions would be taken into account," the vice president of the Patriotic Front for dialogue and national reconciliation, Jean-Michel Bokamba-Yangouma, said.

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