PRESIDENT Mobutu Sese Seko has told the US envoy, Mr Bill Richardson, he will not attend peace talks with rebel leader, Mr Laurent Kabila on a South African warship off the Atlantic coast, a source in the envoy's delegation said late last night.
Mobutu told Richardson there is no way he would he travelling to a ship for talks with Kabila. So once again the venue for the face to face meeting remains a problem," the source said after the envoy ended talks with the rebel chief.
Earlier Mr Richardson said. I'am happy that both men have agreed to meet. But I will be working out other details with Mr Kabila on free and fair elections, the rule of law which should follow after the end of the war in Zaire."
Mr Richardson said he believed no military solution" was possible in the conflict.
I had a very fruitful meeting with President Mobutu on the general situation in Zaire, which as you all know is at war," he said. Mr Richardson had 90 minutes of talks with Mr Mobutu in Kinshasa earlier yesterday.
Before Mr Richardson arrived in Lubumbashi, Mr Kabila said he had agreed to meet the ailing Zairean president on a South African navy ship off the coast of Zaire to discuss a transfer of power in Kinshasa.
Asked about the date for their meeting, Mr Kabila said it would be in the next few days and mediators were working on an agreeable date, but the most important thing was that both sides had agreed to meet.
Mr Kabila announced his agreement to a meeting shortly after his rebels entered the town of Kikwit, 400 km from Kinshasa, and were greeted by crowds of jubilant residents.
Referring to the meeting Mr Kabila said. As far as I am concerned this will be a short ceremony at which Mr Mobutu is supposed to agree to leave, otherwise our forces now advancing on the route to Kinshasa will eject him.
I am made to believe he (Mobutu) will co-operate with us and avoid a bloody confrontation for Kinshasa," Mr Kabila added.
He said talks would go hand in hand with a rebel offensive and said rebels were advancing towards Kinshasa from Kikwit.
In 1995, Kikwit was the centre of world news attention because of an Ebola virus epidemic which killed more than 120 people there. The city is the commercial capital of Bandundu province, which supplies most of Kinshasa's domestically produced food.
Mr Richardson met Mr Mobutu for 90 minutes at his presidential villa and gave him a letter from Mr Clinton.
My meeting with President Mobutu was a good one. We were both very frank. I carried a strong message but at the same time I think we made progress," the envoy said.
President Mobutu, who has cancer, has ruled out South Africa as too distant on health grounds. Mr Kabila has ruled out Congo's capital, Brazzaville, over the river from Kinshasa, and Gabon on security grounds.
Mr Richardson plans to visit Zaire's rebel held third city, Kisangani, and possibly Angola, which Kinshasa has accused of invading Zaire to back the rebels.
Mr Richardson's trip to Kisangani will focus on the plight of thousands of Rwandan Hutu refugees and displaced Zaireans.