Congo's opposition slaps conditions on national dialogue

DAKAR (Reuters) - Congo Republic's leading opposition and campaign groups said on Friday they would not take part in talks that could open the way for a third term for President Denis Sassou Nguesso, unless the event was led by an independent figure. Sassou Nguesso called the "national dialogue" in the oil-rich central African nation from July 11 to 14 to discuss possible changes to the constitution. Those are widely expected to include a change to the country's current two-term limit on presidents - a sensitive issue across Africa where a number of veteran leaders have triggered protests with plans to extend their time in office. Sassou Nguesso, a 71-year-old former military commander, has not said publicly if he plans to seek a third seven-year term next year. He would currently also be stopped by a ban on candidates older than 70. The Republic Front for the Respect of the Constitutional Order and Democratic Transition (FROCAD), a coalition of opposition parties and campaign groups, called for its members to have an equal role in preparing the talks and said the conclusions must be binding. "Only if they satisfy these demands could the political and social groups working for respect of the constitution participate in this dialogue," said Paul Marie Mpouele, the coordinator of FROCAD. About 400 representatives of political groups, trade unions, ex-combatants, and traditional and religious authorities have been invited to take part. The absence of FROCAD, which includes the main opposition parties, would be a blow to efforts to forge a national consensus. Sassou Nguesso ruled the former French colony from 1979 to 1992, and took power again in 1997 at the end of a civil war before winning disputed polls in 2002 and 2009. Congo is on track to leapfrog Equatorial Guinea to become sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest crude producer by 2017. Half its 4.5 million population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. French President Francois Hollande urged African leaders, at the start a two-day African tour on Thursday, to respect their constitutional term limits. At least six people were killed this week in violent clashes in Burundi, where opposition groups have launched street protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third term. (Reporting by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Andrew Heavens)