KINSHASA, May 29 -- Rebel leader Laurent Kabila took the presidential oath of office in Congo and then promised to return democracy to the former Zaire with elections slated for April 1999. U.S. State Department spokesman John Dinger applauded Kabila's announcement today, saying the two-year delay in elections was acceptable since Kabila's government has to clean up problems left over from former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. During the ceremony at Martyrs' Stadium, Kabila asked his critics to give him the two years he needed to restore democracy and economic stability to the nation before elections are held.
Attending the inauguration were the presidents of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola and Zambia. These leaders provided covert assistance to the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire in its effort to topple Mobutu. ---
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