VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKI #0639/01 1871236
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061236Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9858
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0757
INFO RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 4859

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000639 
 
SIPDIS SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC MARR RW CG
SUBJECT:  SRSG MEETS WITH SENIOR DIPLOMATS ON EVE OF TRIP 
          TO NEW YORK FOR JULY 10 SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Following are notes on July 5 meeting between 
Alan Doss with representatives (ambassadors or DCM's) of Belgium, 
France and the U.S. just prior to his departure for New York to 
attend the Security Council's July 10 on MONUC.  UK rep was unable 
to attend.  Ambassador will meet this week with senior GDRC 
officials to urge action on the list of human rights violators given 
to President Kabila in May by UNSC President Riper.  While not 
classified, this message is sensitive; information contained herein 
should not be attributed.  End summary. 
 
Upcoming SC meeting 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Doss called the meeting to discuss the July 10 meeting of 
the UN Security Council on MONUC's activities and on other issues. 
Doss leaves July 6 for New York.  Doss noted he has asked to see 
Kabila July 6 before his departure for New York.  (Note:  Kabila is 
scheduled to return July 5 from Goma and will receive the 
credentials of five new ambassadors on July 6.  Doss was not 
optimistic he would get in to see Kabila.  End note.) 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The first part of meeting focused on what Doss expects to 
happen in New York on July 10.  Doss said that if he saw Kabila he 
would remind him that he had promised to take action on the five 
names on the list given him by UNSC President Ripert when the 
Security Council visited the DRC in May, as nothing has yet been 
done regarding the list.  Doss said he did not understand why Kabila 
had not yet acted; the persons on the list were not as politically 
sensitive as many others.  Doss said he heard from several sources 
that Kabila is "down on MONUC again."  Also, he continued, as the 
situation with the FARDC gets worse, Kabila feels cornered and tries 
to deflect criticism by blaming MONUC.  He continued that Kabila 
tended to take articles in the international press about FARDC 
personally. But this ploy (blaming MONUC), Doss said, was less 
credible than it was last year. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Doss said he expected to hear many complaints in New York 
about increased human rights violations resulting from, or connected 
with, Operation Kimia 2.  He had discussed this in a letter to the 
Washington Post that published on July 3.  His answer to critics is 
"But what would you have us do?"  One piece of good news, Doss 
noted, was that there is much less action on the LRA front. 
 
New DRC ambassador to Rwanda 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Doss said he had just learned who the new DRC ambassador 
to Rwanda will be:  Norbert Nkulu Kilombo Mitumba, a former foreign 
minister.  (Note:  The Kigali Times has since printed a story on 
Nkulu's nomination.  Bio information on Nkulu will follow septel. 
End note.) 
 
Kimia 2 
------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The conversation turned to Kimia 2.  Doss noted that when 
troops are paid, human rights abuses go down.  When troops are 
properly fed this is also the case.  He lamented problems involved 
with MONUC efforts to feed FARDC:  it was difficult to get the food 
to the FARDC and was usually delivered via helicopter drop.  He had 
learned that the FARDC, which was often bivouacked far from drops, 
was now impressing locals as porters, in effect using forced labor 
for porterage.  This, he feared, would only result in more 
accusations of human rights abuses against MONUC.  At present 
helicopters could not get closer to FARDC camps because there are 
not enough military helicopters -- civilian helicopters are not 
allowed into war zones.  Another solution should be considered: 
procuring food locally.  But this was against UN policies on 
competitive bidding.  Doss said he might ask ambassadors of France, 
UK, and U.S. to urge in the Security Council that the competitive 
bidding process be dropped.  This would result in getting food more 
quickly and less expensively to the FARDC.  Lack of military 
helicopters was also a problem for would-be FDLR defectors; they 
would not risk turning themselves in at far-away processing centers 
because of fears of ambush.  But, again, there were not enough 
military helicopters to collect them in the bush. 
 
July 10 debate:  reprise 
------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Conversation turned again to SC debate.  Doss said core of 
the debate would be on Kimia 2.  He said main questions would be: 
what is the impact of K-2 on the civilian population?  What is time 
frame (was an end in sight?), and how could the civilian population 
be better protected?  Doss was of the view it would be disastrous to 
suspend K-2.  If this happened, the FDLR would come back with a 
vengeance, killing many innocent civilians and possibly adversely 
impacting DRC-GOR detente.  Instead, what was needed was to:  push 
for greater discipline within the FARDC; to pay soldiers' salaries 
on time and in full; and to revive the 4 x 4 mechanism to find ways 
 
to attract more young Rwandans not implicated in the genocide back 
to Rwanda and to agree on other ways to "peel them off" from the 
FDLR.  One of these "ways" had to be letting any young FDLR with a 
claim to DRC citizenship to stay in the DRC.  Doss referred to the 
idea, put forward by French ambassador at the July 2 MONUC P-5 plus 
others meeting, that the GoR would have to "open more political 
space" for these young FDLR members. 
 
Cabinet reshuffle 
----------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Doss and others compared notes on latest developments 
regarding a rumored cabinet shuffle.  All agreed this would probably 
not occur until September. 
 
Bashir and ICC 
-------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Question was asked about recent decision at AU summit 
regarding refusal to respect ICC sanctions against Bashir and 
whether this might also affect DRC's willingness to turn ex-CNDP 
leader Bosco Natanganda over to the ICC.  Doss noted that DRC did 
not take part in the decision as it cannot vote in the AU because it 
has not paid the arrears ($10 million) it owes to the organization. 
 
Bemba on leave for father's funeral 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Belgian ambassador stated that Belgian government has 
agreed to let Jean-Pierre Bemba come to Brussels on July 7 to attend 
father's funeral.  Bemba had asked for 10 days but GOB agreed to a 
period of less than 24 hours.  Bemba's movement was restricted only 
to places relating to the funeral -- where the body is being viewed 
and the cathedral, where the funeral service will be held.  He will 
be heavily guarded by Belgian security forces.  Belgian ambassador 
has been in touch with foreign minister so that GDRC is fully 
informed.  Belgian said the family is "desperate for money." 
 
Letter of DRC UN permrep on UNDP programs 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Congolese Permrep's recent letter to SC president 
regarding the disbanding of certain UNDP programs (a letter that was 
not authorized by GDRC) was mentioned. Doss noted that Alain LeRoi 
has written the SC president in response to the permrep's request 
for information.  (Note:  Embassy would appreciate receiving a copy 
of LeRoi's letter.  End note.) 
 
New MONUC point person on SSR 
----------------------------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Doss stated he would meet July 6 with Defense Minister 
Charles Mwamba Nsimba to introduce MONUC new point person for 
Security Sector Reform, Francis Saudubray, a former French 
ambassador and judge. 
 
Great Lakes Summit back on 
-------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Doss mentioned that the Great Lakes summit was back on 
track for mid-August in Lusaka.  He asked if A/S Carson would 
attend. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Embassy will meet with senior Congolese officials this 
week to urge quick action on the list of five individuals given to 
President Kabila during SC visit in May. 
 
GARVELINK