VZCZCXRO9723
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #0024/01 0111116
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111116Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7351
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000024 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS PHUM PREF KPKO CG
SUBJECT:    Goma Report for January 10 - Day five of Kivus 
            Conference; Trouble with CNDP and big speeches 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  The Kivus conference will be extended until 
January 20.  CNDP threatened to boycott but is apparently now 
willing to continue attending.  Three heavyweights -- Kamerhe, 
Ruberwa, and Mbusa -- gave contrastingly positive speeches, each 
emphasizing that the conference represented an historic opportunity. 
 Conference President Malu Malu reiterated that the FDLR will not be 
invited to the Conference, but both he and Foreign Minister Mbusa 
left the door open by noting that the Nairobi communique calls for 
FDLR-GDRC contact.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Kivus conference in Goma will now continue until 
January 20.  Conference president Malu Malu explained to 
international observers January 10 that President Kabila wanted the 
multiplicity of vying groups to have a hearing and wanted to ensure 
that the key discussions on the margins, especially with armed 
groups, not be compressed.  The plenary January 11 will be devoted 
to speeches by representatives of each ethnic group in the Kivus. 
 
CNDP threatens to leave 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Nkunda reduced CNDP attendance January 10 from twelve to 
four and threatened to boycott the conference altogether.  The 
reason was that during the meeting that the international observers 
had with the CNDP on January 9, the Republican Guard (a special unit 
within the army that is used for Presidential protection) asked 
MONUC representative Christian Manahl whether one of the members of 
the CNDP delegation was Georges Mirindi, who had been convicted in 
absentia for the assassination of Laurent Kabila.  Manahl 
ascertained that the delegate was Seraphin Mirindi (Mirindi is a 
common name) and no relation of Georges Mirindi, and the Republican 
Guard went away.  However, the chief of the CNDP delegation, Kambasu 
Ngeve, issued a written complaint; the delegation attending the 
conference January 10 was reduced to four; and Nkunda threatened to 
boycott altogether.  Malu Malu said that he and Tutsi leaders Denis 
Ntare and Emmanuel Kamanzi met with the CNDP delegates in the course 
of January 10 and were assured that CNDP would attend in full 
January 11. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) January 10, the first full plenary, was devoted to major 
speech-giving, dominated by three heavyweights, President of the 
National Assembly Vital Kamerhe, RCD head Azarias Ruberwa, and 
Foreign Minister Antipas Mbusa.   Kamerhe and Mbusa gave rousing, 
charismatic speeches, often bringing applause, while Ruberwa (the 
first Tutsi to address the conference) was serious and measured in 
his tone.  All three emphasized that the conference offered an 
historic opportunity to end conflict in the Kivus. 
 
Kamerhe, Ruberwa and Mbusa give speeches 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Tracking what he had told the international observers the 
previous day, Kamerhe told the conference that it was essential that 
it produce a concrete plan to end conflict.  It would take great 
courage to commit to a political and diplomatic solution, rather 
than a military one.  Leaders of armed groups would need to have 
intense discussions and elaborate a plan of disengagement, 
ceasefire, movement of troops to transit centers, and brassage. 
CNDP and Mai Mai had claims that had to be seriously examined.  If 
Rwanda accepted Congo's plan to deal with the FDLR, Nkunda would 
have less basis for claiming he was the only one who could solve the 
FDLR issue.  If UNHCR produced a plan for identifying refugees, 
Nkunda could no longer claim he was the only salvation for refugees. 
 These were not insoluble issues.  Kamerhe openly told the audience 
that he advocated that the tough issues be handled in his Wise Men's 
Committee ("Comite des Sages").  In a master political stroke, he 
called on one member of every ethnic and armed group to come forward 
and shake hands, which they did smilingly. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Ruberwa was the only speaker to emphasize the themes of 
good governance, protection of human rights, and combating 
corruption.  Without ever mentioning the words "Tutsi" or "Rwanda," 
he cogently made the case for protection of minorities, punishing 
hate talk among any office-holders or candidates, and paving the way 
for the return of refugees.  There was no visible negative reaction 
in the audience to any element of his long discourse.  He urged the 
conference to give every ethnic and armed group a thorough and fair 
hearing.  He described the mission of the conference as finding a 
way this week to begin the end of conflict in the Kivus. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Mbusa went even further back in history in his even longer 
but riveting speech, emphasizing that there was no recourse today 
but to cooperate with Rwanda.  He observed, in a jocular tone, that 
the rest of the world held the Congolese's vast county to ridicule 
 
KINSHASA 00000024  002 OF 002 
 
 
for heaping blame on such a tiny neighbor, so small that it was 
barely discernible on maps.  He described as delusionary claims that 
Congolese refugees were a mere fabrication of Rwanda.  It was time 
for the people of the Kivus to put such fantastical ideas away.  Nor 
could the Congolese demand that the FDLR problem be resolved through 
inter-Rwandan dialogue.  There was now a serious plan for coping 
with the FDLR and the conference needed to play its role in ensuring 
that the Kivu populace bought into the plan. 
 
Other ways to talk with FDLR 
---------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In the evening meeting with the international observers, 
Malu Malu said that FDLR would not be invited into the conference 
but rather conference leaders would seek and meet with FDLR.  Mbusa 
emphasized that DRC was obliged to talk to FDLR now, under the 
Nairobi communique and the Congolese plan.  EU envoy van de Geer 
outlined further contacts that the international observers planned 
to have with armed groups, ethnic groups, and civil society.  Malu 
Malu approved all these meetings, and Mbusa advocated more, rather 
than fewer, meetings -- e.g., seeing Banyamulenge and Hutu groups 
separately, given the deep divisions in those communities, and 
meeting smaller ethnic groups, such as Hunde, Nianga, and Tembo, 
separately rather than together. 
 
Garvelink