O 101527Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1209

UNCLAS BUJUMBURA 000571 
 
 
DEPT FOR S/ES-CR AND S/ES-O FOR NATALIE CHAGNON 
DEPT FOR AF/C FOR MARLAINA CASEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPDC PREL OVIP BY
SUBJECT:  CONGRATULATORY LETTER FROM LEONARD NYANGOMA, PRESIDENT OF 
THE BURUNDIAN POLITICAL PARTY CONSEIL NATIONAL POUR LA DEFENSE DE LA 
DEMOCRATIE (CNDD) 
 
REF: STATE 118192 
 
¶1. Embassy Bujumbura received a congratulatory letter for 
President-Elect Barak Obama dated November 5, 2008, from the 
Honorable Lonard Nyangoma, President of the political party Conseil 
National pour la Defense de la Democratie (CNDD).  The original 
letter is being forwarded to the Department for transmission to the 
President-elect's transition team.  Mr. Lonard provided both French 
and English versions of the letter.  The English version follows 
below. 
 
¶2. BEGIN TEXT: 
 
Rpublique du Burundi 
Conseil National pour la Dfense de la Dmocratie 
Tl: 257-79-456-094 
E-mail: cndd@rogers.com 
 
 
Hon. Lonard NYANGOMA 
Prsident du CNDD 
B.P. 594 
Bujumbura Burundi 
November 5, 2008 
 
Senator Barack Obama 
President-Elect of the United States of America 
United States Senate 
Washington D.C. 
 
Dear Senator Obama, 
 
Congratulations on Your Election to the Presidency. 
 
On behalf of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy of 
the Republic of Burundi, and on my own behalf, I have the honour of 
congratulating you most heartily on your overwhelming election on 
November 4, 2008, to the office of President of the United States of 
America. 
 
From the beginning of your campaign, you have demonstrated, time and 
again, the outstanding qualities of idealism, competitivity and 
perseverance of a leader committed to uniting people of all walks of 
life, a leader with a deep understanding of the needs and 
aspirations of his fellow men.  You have won the hearts and minds of 
not only your own people of the United States but also the people of 
the whole world.  You have become an inspiration for us all at the 
start of a new Century. 
 
Throughout every corner of the world, in cities and villages, 
offices and farms, people young and old, in all walks of life, have 
been re-inspired by the American Dream.  Our faith has been renewed 
that, with the re-invigoration of the Democratic Party under your 
leadership, we can believe again in a world more just, more peaceful 
and more fair.  The whole world will be looking to you and the 
Government that you will head, to take the lead in uniting us, to 
address our common challenges to overcome terrorism, to counter 
global warming and environmental degradation, to overcome hunger and 
to enhance economic development and world trade. 
 
The people of Burundi in general and myself in particular, sincerely 
hope that we shall be able to count on your support and the support 
of the American Government in advancing peace and democracy in 
Burundi and the Great Lakes sub-region of Africa.  We shall 
especially be looking for your help, as the people of Burundi 
prepare for the elections planned for 2010, in changing the attitude 
of intolerance and suppression of democracy of the regime currently 
in power here. 
 
We believe that peace and democracy in Burundi are essential to 
promoting and maintaining peace and democracy in the whole of 
Central Africa, to ending the cycle of violent struggle over our 
abundant natural resources.  Those of our people, and those of the 
neighboring states, who have survived the wars and violence that 
have been endemic in the sub-region for so many years are look into 
you with hope for vigorous action to promote lasting peace and 
development. 
 
Convinced that we have finally found in you a great American leader 
with the will to listen and the brotherly concern to help, we take 
great pleasure in conveying to you our sincere congratulations on 
your election to the Presidency of the United States and offer our 
assurances of the highest consideration. 
 
Signed in Bujumbura 
November 5, 2008 
On behalf of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy 
 
Honorable Lonard NYANGOMA 
 
END TEXT 
 
 
 
Moller