Mediators Hopeful Over DR Congo Talks

A Congolese soldier has a bullet fixed to the end of his rifle as a good luck charm as he patrols the Nord-Kivu town of Kibati. Congolese rebels and Kinshasa government officials are meeting for a third day of talks in Nairobi amid hopes of reaching agreement on a framework for substantive talks, a UN spokesman has said. (AFP/File/Pascal Guyot)

From Yahoo News/AFP:

NAIROBI (AFP) – Congolese rebels and Kinshasa government officials met for a third day of talks in Nairobi on Wednesday amid hopes of reaching agreement on a framework for substantive talks, a UN spokesman said.

"Delegations are expected to be in a mix of proximity and direct talks today. There is a hope on behalf of the facilitation that a framework agreement will be reached today," said UN spokesman Jens Laerke.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Olusegun Obasanjo, said late Tuesday that he hoped substantive talks would begin "before Christmas".

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My Comment: At least some of us are hopeful.