Talks aimed at ending the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo are getting underway in South Africa. But in the hours before the opening ceremony, it was not clear which of the warring parties would be attending.

Hundreds of delegates from Congo have been arriving in Sun City in the days preceding the talks. They are gathering for the latest round of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, one of two sets of peace talks aimed at ending the four-year-old civil war.

The dialogue is going ahead, despite a threatened boycott by one of the main rebel leaders, Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Ugandan-backed Congolese Liberation Movement. Last week, Mr. Bemba threatened to pull out of the talks; saying some of the political parties attending were just fronts for the government.

But the latest information from the United Nations said Mr. Bemba has arrived in South Africa and will be taking part.

More than 300 delegates are attending the talks, representing some 20 Congolese political parties, rebel groups and civil society. South African President Thabo Mbeki was scheduled to address the opening ceremony, as was talks facilitator Ketumile Masire, the former president of Botswana.

Other scheduled speakers include Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, who chairs the Organization of African Unity, and Malawian leader Bakili Muluzi, who heads the Southern African Development Community.

The talks will begin in earnest Tuesday. They are scheduled to last 45 days.

The Inter-Congolese Dialogue is aimed at making sure the Congolese people have a voice in the future of their own country. The talks resulted from the 1999 cease-fire agreement known as the Lusaka accord. The dialogue parallels U.N.-sponsored peace talks that also include the foreign governments involved in the Congolese war.

The rebels are backed by Rwanda and Uganda, while government troops have been supported by Zimbabwe, Angola, and Namibia.

The war has killed an estimated 2.5 million people since it began in 1998.

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