GDRC ANNOUNCES LIBREVILLE PARTICIPANTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 008417 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2010 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL CG SUBJECT: GDRC ANNOUNCES LIBREVILLE PARTICIPANTS REF: A. LIBREVILLE 2335 ¶B. KINSHASA 8382 CLASSIFIED BY POLOFF JONATHAN PRATT FOR REASONS 1.5 (B/D). ¶1. (U) WITH BOLD HEADLINES, KINSHASA NEWSPAPERS ANNOUNCED DECEMBER 19 THE GDRC LIST OF PARTICIPANTS FOR THE "PRE-DIALOGUE" IN LIBREVILLE, PROVIDING THE STRONGEST SIGNAL YET THAT THE KABILA GOVERNMENT WILL ATTEND THE DECEMBER 21 MEETING IN GABON. INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER "LA REFERENCE PLUS" CALLED THE 201 GDRC-SELECTED PARTICIPANTS "ILLUSTRIOUS UNKNOWNS", NOTING THAT NO PROMINENT FIGURES FROM THE INTERNAL, EXTERNAL, OR ARMED OPPOSITION PLANNED TO PARTICIPATE. PRESIDENT KABILA HAS NOT YET ANNOUNCED WHETHER HE WILL ATTEND. ¶2. (U) THE LIST OF 201 NAMES, PRODUCED BY THE CONSTITUENT AND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY'S SPECIAL COMMISSION FOR THE INTER-CONGOLESE DIALOGUE, IS BROKEN INTO REPRESENTATIONAL CATEGORIES CLEARLY INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE BREADTH OF PARTICIPATION. SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INCLUDING FOREIGN MINISTER OKITUNDU AND EDUCATION MINISTER YERODIA APPEAR IN THE CATEGORY TITLED "NATIONAL DIRECTORATE OF THE CPP" (PEOPLE'S POWER COMMITTEES). THE SMALL SECTION FOR POLITICAL PARTIES (ONLY SEVEN SPOTS) INCLUDES 5 UNKNOWNS AND TWO UN-NAMED UDPS PARTICIPANTS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT UDPS ANNOUNCED A BOYCOTT AND EVEN BREAK-AWAY UDPS PRESIDENT KIBASSA MALIBA ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULDN'T ATTEND. A WHOPPING SIXTY PARTICIPANTS WILL REPRESENT CONGOLESE CIVIL SOCIETY, BUT AS IN THE POLITICAL PARTIES CATEGORY, NONE OF THE NAMES ARE FAMILIAR TO THE EMBASSY. ¶3. (U) PROMINENT OPPOSITION FIGURES CONTINUE TO INSIST PUBLICLY THAT THEY WON'T GO TO LIBREVILLE. RFI REPORTED DECEMBER 19 THAT BOTH UDPS PRESIDENT ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI AND FONUS PRESIDENT JOSEPH OLENGHANKOY HAD ANNOUNCED THAT THEY PLANNED TO BOYCOTT THE MEETING. BOTH CITED THE FACT THAT THE LIBREVILLE MEETING FELL OUTSIDE OF THE LUSAKA PROCESS AS THEIR JUSTIFICATION FOR NOT ATTENDING. (NOTE: TSHISEKEDI IS REPORTEDLY SPENDING THE WEEK TRAVELING TO AFRICAN CAPITALS INCLUDING LOME, LUANDA, KIGALI, KAMPALA, AND HARARE. END NOTE.) ¶4. (C) COMMENT: THIS PROMINENT ANNOUNCEMENT INDICATES THAT THE GDRC MAY IN FACT SEND A CONTINGENT TO GABON FOR A "PRE-DIALOGUE" MEETING. HOWEVER, SEVERAL QUESTIONS REMAIN, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS HOW A LARGE GDRC DELEGATION WILL TRAVEL TO LIBREVILLE BEFORE THURSDAY. MORE TO THE POINT, OBSERVERS IN KINSHASA WONDER WHY THE DELEGATES WOULD TRAVEL ALL THE WAY TO GABON GIVEN THAT NO RECOGNIZABLE MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITION PLAN TO ATTEND, AND OUTSIDE FACILITATION WOULD THEREFORE BE OF LITTLE USE. END COMMENT. SWING