Republic of Congo starts 'all inclusive' political dialogue

Republic of Congo's "all inclusive" national dialogue began on Monday in Sibiti, about 350 km southwest of Brazzaville, with over 450 delegates representing political parties, civil society groups and religious groups participating.

During the talks which will end on July 17, participants will discuss two key issues which include electoral governance and the proposed changes to the 2002 Constitution, something that has divided the country's political class.

Participants will particularly focus on whether the Constitution should be amended to allow President Denis Sassou Nguesso to contest for a third term during the 2016 presidential elections.

Several opposition parties such as the PanAfrican Union for Social Democracy, the Republican Front for Democratic Transition as well as some parties allied to the ruling party such as the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development and Action Committee for Democracy and Development refused to take part in the talks.

The parties had issued a number of conditionalities for their participation in the dialogue, key among them being removal of the proposed constitutional changes from the agenda of the talks, equal representation of both the opposition and ruling party sides in the preparatory committee and appointment of a neutral person to head the preparatory committee

Speaking during the opening forum, the chairman of the committee organizing the national dialogue Andre Obami Itou urged Congolese political actors to embrace the culture of peace in order to consolidate unity, harmony and brotherhood among the Congolese people.

"Dialogue remains the only effective way for people to exchange their views on different issues. When applied correctly, dialogue becomes a cardinal virtue that gives men the possibility of averting confrontations," he said.

The director in the office of the president of the Republic, Firmin Ayessa, pointed out the need for all to dialogue in order to find solutions to the socioeconomic and political problems affecting the population.

"For a long time, dialogue has been used as a mechanism for peaceful governance in our country. It has become a ritual for the Congolese people and their leaders to resolve major crises through consultation and consensus," Ayessa said.