Kabila Unveils Govt Of New Congo

Self-proclaimed president Lau rent Kabila unveils a transitional government on Tuesday, marking the end of decades of dictatorship in Zaire, the country he has renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kabila is expected to arrive in Kinshasa on Tuesday in what promises to be the climax of the war he launched in the east of the country last October to topple president Mobutu Sese Seko.

His guerrillas swept across the country the size of Western Europe, meeting little resistance from Mobutus outclassed and discredited army until they captured the capital on Saturday.

Under pressure to form a broad-based government, the guerrilla leadership said their priority was political re-education from peasant collectives upwards before national elections could be held. Mobutu ruled for 32 years.

 

We must reawaken the population politically. It is our first duty, Kabila aide Deogratias Bugera told reporters on Monday.

The aim is to avoid the possibility in the future that any one man can confiscate power, he said, accusing Mobutu of plundering what is potentially one of Africas richest nations.

South Africa, which led last-ditch mediation to avert bloodshed in Kinshasa, voiced satisfaction with Kabilas plans to form a broad government leading to elections.

The United States, another key broker in the country that was once a key Cold War ally in Africa, voiced cautious and conditional support for Kabila.

We have hopes, but we are watching very carefully the actions of Kabila, Secretary of State Madeline Albright told a dockside news conference during a visit to the port of Wilmington, Delaware.

We are making it very clear that it is important for the new government to be inclusive, to be concerned and do a lot about democratic practices and human rights, Albright said.

We are going to continue to make that clear and make it also evident that large-scale support by the international community will depend on the way that those three criteria are met, she added.

The euphoria over the weekend overthrow of Mobutu was mixed with continuing violence in the capital of five million people.

The local Red Cross said it retrieved 22 bodies across the city on Monday, taking the death toll during the rebel takeover to 222. The dead were a mix of diehard Mobutu soldiers killed by Kabilas forces and irate civilians or looters shot by rebels.

Kabilas planning and development adviser Babi Mbai was bombarded with questions about security when he met business leadeers in Kinshasa on Monday.

It is planned that within a short period we will have 10,000 to 20,000 troops in Kinshasa to solve the problem of security, Mbai told his audience, mostly local businessmen.

The United States judged the security situation sufficiently manageable to withdraw the first batch of its marine force stationed in nearby Congo to evacuate foreigners from Kinshasa if necessary. Britain, France and Portugal had also sent troops.

Britain has already scaled down its own force and Belgium plans a similar move. Kabila was expected to fly from his temporary base in the southern city of Lubumbashi, according to announcements by the United States and South Africa.

We understand, based on meetings this morning, that Mr. Laurent Kabila plans to arrive in Kinshasa tomorrow, that he plans to formally establish an interim government by tomorrow evening, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said.

South Africas President Nelson Mandela, who led last-ditch mediation in the Zaire conflict, made a similar announcement in Zimbabwe where he is on a state visit.

Mobutu rested in Togos capital Lome after leaving his jungle palace in his ancestral home region of Gbadolite on Zaires northern border, a security source in Togo said.

World powers voiced cautious support for Kabila, generally linking this to progress towards democratic rule. They included Germany, Japan and Italy following similar pledges by the United States, France, Italy and former colonial ruler Belgium.

South Africa, Libya and Kabilas key regional allies Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi announced outright recognition.