Rebel Congo general urges talks to end region's fighting

WITH a cease-fire appearing to halt most fighting, the rebel Congo general laying siege to Goma demanded direct talks with the government today over ending fighting in the region.

Laurent Nkunda said he also wants the urgent disarmament of a Rwandan Hutu militia that he has accused of preying on his minority Tutsi people.

Nkunda claimed the Congolese government has not protected the tribe from Rwandan Hutu militia, who fled to Congo after helping carry out the 1994 Rwanda genocide in which half a million Tutsis were slaughtered.

He also said the militia is being allowed to work with government forces.

"It's not acceptable for government soldiers to be fighting alongside genociders," Nkunda said. "We want peace for people in the region."

Nkunda has threatened to take Goma, which is a border post with Rwanda, despite calls from the UN Security Council for him to respect a cease-fire brokered by the UN in January.

His rebellion has threatened to reignite the back-to-back wars that rocked Congo from 1996 to 2002.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: "There is an urgent need to restore long-term stability."