Uganda: Museveni Clears Mao for Peace Talks
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The Monitor (Kampala)
August 24, 2006
Posted to the web August 23, 2006
Posted to the web August 23, 2006
Samuel O. Egadu, Emmanuel Gyezaho, and Grace Matsiko
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has, in a surprise change of
heart, accepted to consider including a contingent of community leaders from northern Uganda, led by the Gulu District Chairman, Mr Norbert Mao on the team of negotiators in Juba peacetalks.
Daily Monitor has learnt that Mr Museveni called Mao at 6:00am on Sunday and communicated his acceptance.
"We discussed frankly about the ongoing peace talks in Juba between the government and the LRA, options of including community leaders in the talks and other issues of personal interests," Mao said in an interview yesterday.
The government had previously expressed resistance against the inclusion of community leaders from Acholi, Lango and West Nile, at the Juba talks, questioning their neutrality.
But the chief mediator and South Sudan Vice President, Dr Riek Machar, had invited Mao, along with a host of local leaders, to represent community interests at the
talks.
Moments later the government claimed that Mao's delegation was inundated by elements from the opposition, who should not take active part in the talks.
The delegation that travelled to Juba was consequently relegated to the observer's bench. Mao has since not honoured the invitation, pegging his presence to active face-to-face participation at the talks.
In the Museveni-Mao conversation, which lasted close to two hours, the President explicitly agreed to hold closed discussions at State House scheduled for last night, with the community politicians, religious and cultural leaders of Acholi, Lango, Teso and West Nile sub region.
"I think I will now finally go to Juba especially after today's (yesterday) meeting so that I am not thought to stubbornly refuse to listen to Dr Machar," Mao said. "The role I am best suited to play is to talk directly to the
LRA and the government."
The group that met Museveni yesterday afternoon included MPs and stakeholders who visited Kony in Garamba Forest in the DR Congo and flew back from Juba on Tuesday.
Mao, who led the 15-member team, to meet Mr Museveni, said the community leaders would explain in detail the benefits of their participation at the talks in bridging the gap between Kampala and the LRA.
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Mao said, Museveni accused the local Acholi leaders of having a blind spot for the atrocities committed by the LRA. But Mao said he vehemently denied the President's allegations. "Our role is to ensure that there is reconciliation and accountability and there should be no condoning. I assured Museveni that as long ago as 1997, we stated that we are totally opposed to these atrocities," he said.
It
also emerged yesterday that Mr Museveni is expected in London this weekend, to attend a forum on the ongoing peace talks. Mao along with Security Minister, Mr Amama Mbabazi, are also expected to address the forum.
Also to feature at the forum to be held at the University of East London, Docklands Campus, is the launch of the Northern Uganda Appeal fund, presentations on investment and business opportunities, good governance and institutional building, the role of civil society in Uganda and the 2007 Commonwealth meeting
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