This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001934 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2014 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ECON KPRV EIND CG
SUBJECT: PARASTATALS: BEMBA SEEKS CONTROL, CIAT ARBITRATION 
 
 
Classified By: CDA TDougherty for Reasons 1.4 b/d. 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  In a high-stakes move to gain control of the 
DRC's parastatals, Vice President Bemba called for CIAT to 
arbitrate his longstanding dispute with the presidency. 
Bemba, who heads the transitional government's commission for 
economics and finance, maintains the power-sharing agreement 
signed at Sun City gives his commission the right to control 
the parastatals.  His position is apparently supported by the 
RCD/G and the political opposition who, like Bemba's MLC, are 
keen to get "their share" of the country's public 
enterprises.  The Presidency's position is that Sun City 
called for a sharing of political (not economic) powers, and 
that an independent commission should be constituted to 
appoint the directors of the country's parastatals -- a 
position likely to be supported by the international 
community.   Bemba has also called upon CIAT to decide which 
of the transitional government's component groups should have 
responsibility for territorial administration, the 
intelligence services, and the police.  In an October 14 
communique, CIAT called for "consultations" among the parties 
to resolve the dispute quickly so as not to jeopardize the 
transition and national elections "expected by the Congolese 
people."  End summary. 
 
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Bemba's Position 
---------------- 
¶2. (U) In an October 11 letter addressed to SRSG Swing, Vice 
President Jean-Pierre Bemba called upon CIAT to arbitrate and 
"settle definitively" the remaining questions related to the 
division of powers called for in the Global Accord. 
Specifically, he asked CIAT to decide which component should 
be given overall control of the country's parastatals. 
Putting the parastals in his economics and finance portfolio 
would, Bemba wrote, "lead to economic reunification" and "end 
the multiplicity of structures" relating to the management of 
public enterprises.  Bemba also asked for CIAT to arbitrate 
the division of powers relating to territorial 
administration, the intelligence services, and the police. 
 
¶3. (C)  Bemba's letter was (comment: not coincidentally) sent 
the day after SRSG Swing left the DRC for a long-planned 
working visit to Europe.  The issues raised in his letter 
were therefore added to the agenda of the regular CIAT 
meeting of October 14 presided over by Swing's deputy, 
Behrouz Sadry. Before the meeting, however, both Kabila's and 
Bemba's staffs heavily lobbied CIAT members.  Virtually all 
CIAT members were demarched by representatives of the 
government, and most CIAT members (but not the U.S.) were 
called in to meet with Bemba's senior advisers. 
 
¶4. (U) Bemba's letter referred to interventions in April and 
May when CIAT called upon the presidency to end the delays in 
dividing powers among the Transition's various component 
groups with the creation of an ad-hoc committee. 
Acknowledging that some issues had been resolved, Bemba also 
noted that a majority of the committee had agreed to assign 
control of the parastals to his portfolio -- a proposal 
rejected by the presidency.  In light of the stalemate, and 
citing Annex Four of the Global Accord as his justification, 
Bemba called for CIAT arbitration to resolve all pending 
issues. 
 
¶5. (C) Bemba's senior staff made it clear they expected a 
decision in Bemba's favor.  The British Ambassador, who was 
demarched on October 14, told Charge that Bemba's Chief of 
Staff had indicated that MLC supporters would likely 
demonstrate if a favorable decision was not forthcoming. 
Other CIAT chiefs of mission received similar messages about 
potential disturbances by those whose "patience is running 
out." 
 
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The Presidency's Position 
------------------------- 
¶6.  (C) CIAT members were demarched on October 14 by either 
Chief of Staff Boshab, Ambassador-at-Large Kapanga, or 
Ambassador-at-Large Ghonda.  Charge and polcounselor were 
told by Kapanga the presidency strongly opposes 
"politicization" of public enterprises.  Kapanga said the 
Global Accord never envisaged transferring control of the 
parastatals to one component group, and that Sun City only 
called for the division of political powers ("partage de 
responsabilities") - not of economic ones such as parastatals 
(where the Accord called only for the appointment of 
managers).  He cited Article 198 which, in the presidency's 
interpretation, stipulates that the parastatals are to be 
left as is until after the elections.  Moreover, he claimed, 
this was discussed at Sun City and known by all parties. 
 
¶7.  (C) Kapanga said the presidency proposes to replace all 
current heads of Congolese parastals.  A committee would be 
established to select directors for the country's parastatals 
on the basis of their "morality, competence, and experience," 
and not on the basis of their political affiliation.  The 
committee would be composed of representatives of the four 
"composantes," the three "entities," and national and 
international experts including the World Bank, the E.U., the 
UNDP, and the IMF.  Kapanga underscored that the parastatals 
constitute the patrimony of the Congolese people, and that 
politicizing their management was unacceptable. 
 
¶8.  (C) On the other areas, Kapanga said the police and 
intelligence services issues were already being dealt with, 
and that the presidency could compromise on the remaining 
issue related to territorial administration.  In that regard, 
he suggested that the Minister of Interior (from the 
president's component) and the Vice Minister of Plan (from 
the RCD) could work together to appoint local officials. 
(Note: Territorial administration does indeed fall in the 
category of "political powers," and appointments of local 
officials have not been apportioned equitably.) 
 
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The Stakes 
---------- 
¶9. (C)  Control of the parastatals is potentially a lucrative 
proposition for the various factions in the transitional 
government, as the president's advisers have repeatedly 
pointed out. Though almost all of the parastatals are 
perpetual money-losers, they are also useful cash cows for 
the unscrupulous.  Salaries for senior managers are very 
high, and those appointed to such positions would be expected 
to share their good fortune with their political patrons. 
With elections on the horizon, the stakes are high.  An audit 
of the parastatals released this month provides clear 
evidence of mismanagement and waste, and the World Bank 
Resident Representative spoke out publicly on October 14 
against politicizing the parastatals. 
 
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CIAT's Interim Response 
----------------------- 
¶10.  (C) DSRSG Sadry told CIAT members at the October 14 
meeting he had been advised that a separate request for 
arbitration was to be submitted by the RCD.  There was 
consensus that any arbitration at the October 14 meeting was 
therefore premature.   Instead, CIAT agreed to consultations 
with the various parties with the aim of reaching an 
"operational consensus...in a climate of mutual trust."   The 
communique "took note" of Bemba's letter, but did not comment 
on its substance.  In discussions at the meeting, however, it 
was agreed that the division of powers for the police and 
intelligence services were side issues.   Members expressed 
their concerns about politicizing the parastatals and their 
resolve not to be rushed into arbitration. 
 
¶11. (C) Within the transitional government, both sides read 
into the communique want they wanted.  Bemba's faction 
interpreted it to mean that CIAT would arbitrate (and 
presumably had seen merit in Bemba's argument), and 
polcounselor was told by MONUC that Bemba's chief of staff 
has been calling daily to ask about the status of the case. 
For its part, the presidency has been surprisingly successful 
in the media, where newspapers that usually are not friendly 
to the government, have editorialized that the parastals 
should not be put under political control. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
¶12. (C) Though it would be naive to believe the presidency is 
making its case on the parastatals solely in the interest of 
transparency and good governance, it nevertheless is on the 
right side of this issue.  The three other component groups 
in the transition government very much want to get "their 
share" of the parastatals, with the objective of milking 
whatever they can out of them while there is still time. 
CIAT will of course soon have to address the issue directly, 
and is all too aware of Bemba's none-too-veiled threats if he 
doesn't get his way.  End comment. 
DOUGHERTY