Mobutu 'ready' for Zaire democracy

KINSHASA - President Mobutu Sese Seko has pledged co-operation with his arch-rival, Etienne Tshisekedi, the opposition stalwart elected Prime Minister by the national conference guiding Zaire to multi-party democracy.

'Rest assured of my sincere co- operation, to allow the peaceful transition desired by the Zairean people,' Mr Mobutu said in a message broadcast on national television on Saturday night.

The President, still clinging to power after 27 years at the head of the former Belgian colony, said he was ready to help Mr Tshisekedi lay the foundations of a 'thriving and democratic' Third Republic. The statement suggested he was not planning to oppose the accession of his main adversary.

Under an agreement struck earlier this year with the national conference chairman, Archbishop Monsengwo Pasinya, Mr Mobutu has 48 hours to sign a presidential decree ratifying Mr Tshisekedi's election. The appointment still stands if he refuses.

The national conference's pre- dawn election of Mr Tshisekedi on Saturday sparked joyful celebrations in Kinshasa and Zaire's main provincial cities as supporters ran through the streets waving green branches. But a source of possible friction - the timing of future multi-party elections - emerged yesterday.

The national conference has talked about holding local, parliamentary and presidential elections within 18-24 months, giving the opposition plenty of time to prepare. The outgoing prime minister, Nguza Karl-I-Bond, seems determined to bring those elections forward.

A government spokesman said Mr Nguza, who is viewed by the opposition as an ally of Mr Mobutu, had set up a commission to draw up a timetable for the elections, which he wants staged in six to eight months.

The spokesman told Zairean television the commission had 10 days to draw up a draft constitution, draft election law and draft an election timetable. It was not immediately clear whether the commission would continue its work now that Mr Tshisekedi has replaced Mr Nguza.

A former minister who turned against the regime in 1980, Mr Tshisekedi has endured beatings, imprisonment and internal exile to become the symbol of opposition to Mr Mobutu. He was elected prime minister briefly last October, shortly after Zaire was shaken by army riots, but was sacked for refusing to swear allegiance to Mr Mobutu in his oath of office. This time he will not be asked to take an oath.

Mr Tshisekedi starts talks with political parties and interest groups today aimed at naming a transitional government. He has asked Archbishop Monsengwo to accept the chairmanship of a future interim legislature, dubbed the High Council of the Republic.