By Buchizya Mseteka

GABORONE (Reuters) - Talks between

Congolese rebels and southern African

ministers to try to end the war in the Congo

broke up abruptly Saturday after rebels

demanded that the Kinshasa government

be named as a perpetrator of genocide.

Conference officials told Reuters that the

rebels had also demanded direct talks with

the government of embattled President

Laurent Kabila and for Sudan and Chad to

be listed among the belligerents in the

three-month-old war.

``The ministers and the rebel delegation

could not find a common position on these

issues and the meeting had to be ended,'' a

conference official told Reuters.

The talks broke up barely 15 minutes after

they resumed Saturday, following a full day

of negotiations Friday.

Southern African Development Community

(SADC) executive secretary Kaire

Mbuende, clearly irritated, told reporters that

he was disappointed with the rebel position.

``I thought we were dealing with politicians

and statesmen but these people are

behaving like bandits,'' Mbuende told

reporters.

According to a working document obtained

by Reuters, the rebels also wanted a

guarantee from SADC ministers that the

rebel group would be recognized as a full

participating member in all future meetings

of the Congo crisis.

They wanted the ministers to acknowledge

that Kabila had committed acts of genocide

and crimes against humanity.

Their argument centers around the

treatment of Banyamulenge ethnic Tutsis

who have been systematically arrested or

killed because of their link to the Rwandese

Tutsis who support the rebels, the

document says.

Zambian Presidential Affairs Minister Eric

Silwamba told reporters that he would be

submitting a report to SADC heads of state

on the issues raised by the rebels.

The Gaborone talks, attended by

representatives of the United Nations and

the Organization of African Unity (OAU),

were aimed at securing a cease-fire

agreement from the rebels.

Friday, sources had said Congolese rebels

had agreed to adopt a draft proposal that

could lead to a cease-fire in their war

against Kabila's government.

But the meeting adjourned Friday night amid

wrangling over the rebel demands.

Saturday, the rebels said they agreed in

principle to a cease-fire but want it

negotiated in direct talks with Kabila.

``We are not opposed to a cease-fire. We

agree to it in principle but we need to

negotiate this with Kabila,'' rebel leader

Wamba dia Wamba told reporters.

Kabila was not at the Gaborone talks, but

his embattled government has been invited

to a separate round due to take place on

December 6 in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Military analysts warn that the Congo

conflict, if not resolved at the negotiating

table, could erupt into a wider war in the

heart of Africa.

Rwanda and Uganda have thousands of

troops backing the rebels in the Congo

because of what they say are genuine

security concerns. Kabila has won support

from Angola, Namibia, Chad and Zimbabwe.

Other sources say Libya and Sudan are

also helping the Congolese president.

The Gaborone talks marked the first time

the rebels had been allowed to attend a

regional ministerial meeting. Previously they

were only consulted on the sidelines.

Reut06:37 11-21-98