Former Central Africa leader wants peace talks

LOME, Feb 3 (Reuters) Exiled former Central African Republic President Ange Felix Patasse, accused of promoting rebellion in his home country, said he wanted to hold negotiations with the former French colony's current leader.

Patasse, overthrown in 2003 by current President Francois Bozize, has lived in exile in Togo since being ousted.

Authorities in Central African Republic accuse him of trying to foment a revolt against Bozize's government.

''We solemnly take the initiative ... of inviting the main actors in national politics, (former president) Andre Kolingba, Francois Bozize, and myself, to a direct meeting between the three of us,'' Patasse told reporters in Togo yesterday.

''(This is) the way of wisdom which will begin a real and essential national dialogue as the Central African people rightly expect of us,'' he said.

Central African Republic has long been racked by revolts and mutinies but has more recently had to deal with rebels and armed raiders spilling over from Sudan's conflict-torn Darfur region, which it borders.

UN security experts have been evaluating an appeal from Bozize for peacekeepers to protect the borders of his country's northern region, hit by attacks most recently last month.

Aid workers say the violence there, which has displaced thousands, is one of Africa's forgotten humanitarian crises.

Some UN officials have expressed reservations about deploying blue helmets to Central African Republic, saying political solutions to its own rebellion should be worked out first in order to create a ''peace to keep''.

In an apparent move in this direction, Bozize last month met rebel leaders opposed to his rule, including some viewed as Patasse's associates, on the sidelines of a gathering of African leaders hosted by Libya.

There was no immediate comment from authorities in Central African Republic on Patasse's call for talks.

Reuters SBA VP0457