A prisoner with bound wrists pleads while being beaten by government soldiers just outside Goma in eastern Congo, November 23, 2008. REUTERS/Finbarr O'ReillyFrom Reuters:
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Nigerian former President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Congo's president on Monday to talk with Tutsi rebel leader Gen. Laurent Nkunda to prevent the conflict in eastern Congo from escalating into a new war.
Obasanjo, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special peace envoy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spoke to reporters after briefing Ban on his mediation efforts.
He said Nkunda had presented three main demands -- direct talks with the Congolese government, protection of minorities, and integration of his soldiers and administrators in rebel-controlled areas into the Congolese army and government.
"He has made demands that I do not consider outrageous," Obasanjo said, adding that Congolese President Joseph Kabila's government could meet Nkunda to "iron out" details.
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My Comment: The demands that the rebels are making is not outrageous. The Congo Government should pay attention to them.