The Central African Republic (CAR) and the Seleka rebels are preparing to hold peace talks in Gabon.

Delegations from the two sides were scheduled to leave for Gabon on Monday, but the CAR government officials’ plane did not take off from Bangui as scheduled due to a "technical problem”, the Associated Press reported.

However, the Seleka delegation arrived in Gabon on Monday.

Yet, despite the rebels’ decision to attend the peace talks, the Seleka spokesman said in an interview in Paris on the same day that the group still has the ability to seize Damara or Bangui but is concerned about the 700,000 people who live there.

"If we wanted to take Damara, it would already be done. We have the means to take Damara and also to take Bangui today, but we don't want the capital to suffer attacks," Eric Massi stated.


Meanwhile, Congo-Brazzaville President Denis Sassou Nguesso met with CAR President Francois Bozizé Yangouvonda in Brazzaville on Monday to discuss the peace talks, but refused to comment on reports the rebels are still seeking Bozizé’s ouster as a condition of the talks.

"In our capacity as mediator, we can't interpret the declarations of others," he said, adding, "The fact that we hold to is that all the parties have agreed that we are going to negotiations."

The talks were scheduled to kick off in the Gabonese capital Libreville on Tuesday, but the president of the Republic of Congo now says they will not start any later than Friday.

According to the latest reports, the CAR delegation will fly to Gabon early on Tuesday.

The Seleka rebels launched an offensive against the CAR government in December.

The rebels, who have been advancing toward the capital Bangui, say CAR President Francois Bozizé Yangouvonda must step down.

There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamonds, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.