KINSHASA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda said on Friday a regional Great Lakes summit would not end his rebellion in east Congo, unless it could convince President Joseph Kabila to negotiate directly with him.
"It's only a regional summit. It doesn't have any impact on our demands," Nkunda told Reuters by telephone from his hilltop headquarters in east Democratic Republic of Congo, where his Tutsi rebels have battled government troops.
Nkunda said Friday's summit in Nairobi, in which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was meeting African leaders to try to end the east Congo conflict, would only influence him "if they can convince Kabila to come back and negotiate with us".
He described his fight against the government, which has displaced tens of thousands of civilians in eastern North Kivu province, as "an internal Congolese political matter." Nkunda has not been invited to the summit in Nairobi.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/) (Reporting by Joe Bavier; Writing by Pascal Fletcher)