«In and , the populations rejected the constitutions; however life is going on. Congolese politicians should take into account such examples. The sky did not fall on the French because they rejected the European constitution, there is no reason at all that the same applies to the DRC," writes L'AVENIR.

Doesn't the CALCC position clash with that of the "Conférence Episcopale nationale du (CENCO) which issued unclear voting guideline Monday, calling on the Congolese people to vote in all conscience? This question was asked to the CALCC press conference, reports LE PHARE. Father José Mpundu answered the question by saying, "CENCO which includes Catholic Bishops does not replace the Catholic church. It is just part of its structures and everybody starts as a church member before becoming leader".

LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, for its part, reports several versions of the draft constitution in circulation. This was revealed by several political opposition parties yesterday regrouped in a platform known as the "Forces politiques et sociales libres, démocratiques et républicaines de la RDC, at the residence of Justine M'Poyo Kasa-Vubu, the daughter of the first DRC president, Joseph Kasa-Vubu. The plat-form which includes UDPS led by Etienne Tshisekedi says some articles such as 139 differ depending on the versions. LE PHARE refers to "four existing versions of the draft constitution." The platform calls for a vote "against the draft constitution" and asks the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) and the International Committee to Accompany the Transition CIAT to postpone the referendum for further dissemination of the draft constitution in French and other local languages across the country, highlights LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES. The paper also announces a "Rally advocating massive vote against the draft constitution across the DRC this Friday across the streets of
Kinshasa
," because the "the draft constitution also approves homosexual practice in DRC." The draft constitution says any individual has the right to freely choose any partner for marriage. LE PHARE further reports RSF led by Lunda Bululu have also called for a postponement of the referendum.

The International Committee to Support the Transition CIAT and the European Union have called on the Congolese people to massively vote for the draft constitution, arguing that it would lead to the holding of the elections and the end of the transition," writes LE PHARE. The European Union, for its part, calls on the Congolese people to "do everything in their power to make the referendum happen smoothly and successfully," says the paper.

Karel De Gucht calls on the Congolese people to assume their own destiny, headlines L'OBSERVATEUR. In a press statement issued yesterday, Belgian minister of Foreign Affairs "called on each Congolese people's conscience in respect of the current stakes." Congolese people are at a crossroads and therefore have no right to make mistakes. He further said, "the referendum is a test to the rest of the electoral process." Mr. De Gucht hailed "the effort made by the International Community through CIAT by using all the means at its disposal so that the current process will culminate in the organisation of free and democratic elections by June 2006," the paper says.

"MONUC-sponsored talks:" PPRD, President Kabila's party turns its back on CIAT, headlines LE POTENTIEL, referring to a series of meetings initiated by the Security Council immediately after its last mission to the DRC. "Consultations among the key political parties under the auspices of CIAT failed (...) The Tuesday 13 December meeting around RCD, MLC and PPRD counter-proposals to UDPS memo did not take place," writes the paper. Joseph Kabila's party "did not attend the meeting (...) it boycotted the meeting." "PPRD just complied with President Kabila's rejection of further negotiations with the opposition during his last meeting with the press."

"Unlike PPRD, UDPS needs assurance," writes LE POTENTIEL. "Mr. Dindo, director of Etienne Tshisekedi's campaign said on a private television channel (Canal Kin) that his party has been working for a peaceful electoral process," reports this paper. "Our major claim focuses on the re-qualification of the process," further said Mr. Dindo. "The re-qualification obviously implies consultations," adds the paper. LE PHARE quotes a member of UDPS national committee as declaring, Tshisekedi will not talk, "It is up to those who received UDPS memo to respond."

During its last Monday meeting, the government announced wide-scale operations to secure the referendum operations, headlines LE PALMARES which also refers to Joseph Kabila's visit to Kindu, Maniema.