By Alistair Thomson

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's Justice

Ministry said Tuesday diplomatic immunity

would protect Congolese President Laurent

Kabila against criminal charges filed against

him in Belgium ahead of his two-day visit

here.

At least three lawsuits have been filed since

Friday accusing Kabila of human rights

crimes and calling for his arrest when he

arrived in the country later Tuesday.

``The Belgian government recognizes the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, so it

recognizes for the moment that Mr. Kabila

certainly has diplomatic status,'' Justice

Ministry spokesman Eugene Van

Kerckhoven told Reuters.

As a result, there was little chance of any

action being taken against the Congolese

president, he added.

Congolese opposition group UDPS (Union

for Democracy and Social Progress)

protested that perpetrators of crimes

against humanity were not protected by

diplomatic immunity.

``Genocide is an enemy of the human

people,'' said Francois Tshimpamba, the

Belgian UDPS representative. ``Diplomatic

immunity doesn't protect crimes against

humanity.''

Tshimpamba spoke to Reuters following a

meeting at the European Commission over

Kabila's visit. Kabila is scheduled to meet

EC officials Wednesday afternoon, in

addition to meetings with Belgian

government officials.

Aldo Ajello, the commission's special envoy

for Africa's Great Lakes region, defended

the planned meeting with Kabila.

``I believe that it's completely normal to

receive a head of state,'' Ajello told an

informal meeting with a half dozen UDPS

delegates. ``I think this visit is useful. It

allows us to have a discussion with Mr.

Kabila and to stress the need to move from

a military solution to a political solution,

because there is no military solution.''

Earlier Tuesday a Congolese official called

on the Belgian government to give

guarantees that Kabila would not face legal

proceedings during his visit.

The three criminal lawsuits filed against

Kabila accuse him of human rights abuses

during his overthrow of dictator Mobutu

Sese Seko in May 1997 and in the war the

Congolese government has been waging

against Rwandan and Ugandan-backed

rebels since August.

Belgium has remained neutral in the conflict

in its former colony but wants Zimbabwean,

Angolan, Chadian and Namibian troops

helping Kabila's forces to withdraw and for

dialogue to take place between the warring

sides.

Reut13:43 11-24-98