BRUSSELS – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) President Joseph Kabila was in Belgium on Monday for his first official visit to the country since helping to set up a transitional power-sharing government in his war-torn homeland last June.

Kabila arrived in Belgium on Sunday afternoon on the final leg of a tour of European capitals that has seen him visit Paris, London and Berlin.

The 33-year-old head of sate is trying to convince EU leaders that he will be able to restore peace and political stability to the DRC after a bloody civil war. 

In particular he hopes to convince European businesses to invest in his country. Many analysts are sceptical about his chances for success on this score, however, arguing that corruption is still rife in the DRC.

While he is in Belgium Kabila is set to meet with Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Foreign Minister Louis Michel. He is also set for talks with a number of senior European Union officials including European Commission President Romano Prodi and the Union’s Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Belgian news