"Well, they've wasted my time."
Seated at a desk under a spreading tree, looking relaxed and with the broad Congo River flowing behind him, Mr. Kabila insisted Monday that there was no crisis in the country. Speaking in excellent English in this French-speaking country - he was raised partly in Tanzania - Mr. Kabila was dismissive of the longtime opposition leader's claims.
"I thought he was going to call me to congratulate me," Mr. Kabila said, smiling. But he issued a veiled warning to Mr. Tshisekedi: "We'll call on him to respect the laws of the land."
Mr. Kabila also brushed aside questions about widely reported government corruption in Congo, saying it was a universal problem. "Corruption exists anywhere and everywhere in the world," he said.
At the end, the president got up from the desk, smiled and, as the reporters were dismissed, said, "Well, they've wasted my time."
Seated at a desk under a spreading tree, looking relaxed and with the broad Congo River flowing behind him, Mr. Kabila insisted Monday that there was no crisis in the country. Speaking in excellent English in this French-speaking country - he was raised partly in Tanzania - Mr. Kabila was dismissive of the longtime opposition leader's claims.
"I thought he was going to call me to congratulate me," Mr. Kabila said, smiling. But he issued a veiled warning to Mr. Tshisekedi: "We'll call on him to respect the laws of the land."
Mr. Kabila also brushed aside questions about widely reported government corruption in Congo, saying it was a universal problem. "Corruption exists anywhere and everywhere in the world," he said.
At the end, the president got up from the desk, smiled and, as the reporters were dismissed, said, "Well, they've wasted my time."
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