The fighting in the democratic Republic of the Congo has been called “Africa’s First World War.” At the center of the conflict is DRC President Laurent Kabila, 60. Kabila’s rebel army chased dictator Mobutu Sese Seko from power in 1997, and the demise of Mobutu’s rapacious regime was widely celebrated. But then war broke out between Kabila and his erstwhile allies in Uganda and Rwanda. Atrocities mounted, and other African states were drawn into the conflict. The war now threatens to spread further, despite a ceasefire agreement reached last summer. Kabila was in New York last week to join Security Council deliberations on ending the war, including proposals to send U.N. peacekeepers. He spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Jeffrey Bartholet. Excerpts:

KABILA: President Museveni and Kagame… are the ones who invaded my country. They say we are harboring Interahamwe [militias that carried out the genocide in Rwanda in 1994], without giving evidence. And they said the Interahamwe were using our territory to punish them with raids. There is no evidence again. The minerals of Congo are believed to be the real reason for the war. Even now, Rwanda is selling [Congolese] diamonds.

How this became complicated is this: just after the liberation, [Museveni and Kagame] wanted someone in power as a puppet, as a clerk. The real master would be Museveni, and the second master the Rwandese. But they couldn’t find such a man in me.

Yes. Yes. If they retreat from my country and they stop killing people every day, we have no reason not to talk with Museveni and Kagame. They are people I loved, but they don’t love me; they don’t love my country.

This is not effective partition. The war should continue to liberate the entire country. No Congolese can accept to be under the rule of the Rwandese, no.

Continue if they won’t withdraw.

They were accusing me of being the butcher of the Interahamwe; I didn’t ever kill any of those people. I never gave the order to kill Interahamwe. They were out of my country. But at any given time, I don’t remember myself being in difficulties with the U.N. I can only say we must be consulted. We are the government of the country.

If they are based on the front lines, they will make a difference–to stop the violations of the ceasefire. But if they come just to put themselves in the rear of the government forces, it will create problems.

[Kabila laughs and looks at his aides.] We have been exchanging views in the aftermath of these U.N. Security Council meetings.

Absolutely. We had a different appreciation of the situation.

There is no danger from the side of the government… Their mission is just to make the fighting stop. They need our security guarantee and we give the guarantee. I hope the others will do the same. And the process of disarming the nongovernment forces will start–and those Interahamwe, if they are there [will be disarmed, too].

We are thinking in terms of a democratic election. But those politicians and rebels don’t like democratic elections.

He may come back if he wishes. But we’ll have to protect him, because the population in Kinshasa does not like him anymore. He has created hatred. But he’s free to make any declaration he wants. This is a democratic society.