Rice pushes leaders for end to Congo conflict

By Sue Pleming

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought on Wednesday to get leaders of the African Great Lakes region to defuse tensions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo but made no major breakthrough.

Rice, on a one-day visit to the Ethiopian capital, said after meeting the presidents of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and a minister from Democratic Republic of Congo, that they had agreed to "recommit" themselves to ending the lengthy conflict.

The talks came as Congo's army fought on Wednesday with a renegade Tutsi general's forces, the latest in a series of battles this week.

But after about two hours of talks at a luxury hotel in Addis Ababa, there were no signs of any concrete steps and all sides appeared to reiterate previous commitments on trying to end the conflict.

"The three-point plan which she summarized is a good restatement of what we have talked about before, but this time with more vigor," said Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at a news conference with Rice.

Rice listed three areas of agreement, including the "rapid strengthening" of security forces in Congo, reiteration of a commitment not to "harbor negative forces" and a recommitment to previous agreements.

Congo's 1998-2003 war sucked in six neighboring states and turned into a free-for-all for the massive former Belgian colony's mineral wealth -- and a place to settle scores from previous conflicts, including Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

Fighting has flared in the past few months in the east -- roamed by various militias who often outclass the Congolese army -- and Uganda and Congo recently clashed over the water border across Lake Albert, where oil has been found.

"Everyone believes that the strengthening of the security institutions of the DRC is a prerequisite for the long-term solution to the problems of the Congo and the problems that are therefore affecting the entire Great Lakes Region," Rice said.

She provided no details on how the security forces would be strengthened but the United States has offered to help with the training of the Congolese Army, which is full of former rebels.

Rice's aim was to try and develop common strategies to deal with what Washington says are "negative forces" including the FDLR (Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda), made up of key figures in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, plus Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army and renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda.

There has been renewed fighting with Nkunda's forces in recent days and Congo's army on Wednesday took one of his strongholds, after the general's men took a strategic town from the government and forced out thousands of civilians.

In October, Congo's President Joseph Kabila, who did not attend the meeting in Addis Ababa, gave a green light to the army to plan an offensive to forcibly disarm Nkunda's men after they missed deadlines to disarm and rejoin the army.

Congolese Interior Minister Denis Kalume said his country faced "great difficulties" and had not yet been able to reap the fruits of democratic elections last year.

"We have committed ourselves in the discussions to continue moving forward with finding appropriate solutions to the problems," said Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the news conference with Rice.