KABILA'S BRIEF VISIT TO ZIMBABWE FOCUSES ON DRC

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001168 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS MCAP ZI CG SUBJECT: KABILA'S BRIEF VISIT TO ZIMBABWE FOCUSES ON DRC COMMERCIAL TIES TO THE ZANU-PF GOVERNMENT REF: HARARE 1131 CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01168 291404Z ¶1. (C) ON MARCH 28, POLOFF OBTAINED A READOUT ON DRC PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA'S TWO-DAY VISIT TO HARARE FROM THE MFA'S PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (PAO) ON THE DRC, MAXWELL CHIKOROWONDO. REGARDING KABILA'S ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT (REFTEL),THE PAO NOTED THAT KABILA IS "PREPARED TO GO THE FULL MILE FOR PEACE" IN THE DRC, BUT CONTINUES TO INSIST THAT THE "AGGRESSOR STATES" WITHDRAW FROM DRC TERRITORY BEFORE THE ALLIES DO. HE ALSO NOTED KABILA'S STATEMENT THAT SADC'S DECISION TO SEND TROOPS TO THE DRC WAS A UNANIMOUS ONE. ¶2. (C) CHIKOROWONDO REPORTED THAT KABILA HELD A "LONG" ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE, BUT THAT HE WAS NOT PRIVY TO WHAT WAS DISCUSSED. KABILA ALSO MET WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER SWITHUN MOMBESHORA AND LANDS AND AGRICULTURE MINISTER JOSEPH MADE (BUT NOT THE FULL CABINET) TO DISCUSS "BILATERAL ISSUES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS." KABILA HELD A BREAKFAST MEETING WITH "NEARLY EVERY PROMINENT ZIMBABWEAN BUSINESSMAN," ACCORDING TO THE MFA OFFICIAL. KABILA REPORTEDLY ENCOURAGED ZIMBABWEAN INDUSTRY TO INCREASE ITS ALREADY SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE DRC AND DISCUSSED WAYS IN WHICH IT COULD HAPPEN. ¶3. (C) POLOFF ASKED CHIKOROWONDO TO COMMENT ON THE PRESS ITEM QUOTING A MONUC REPORT THAT STATED THE ALLIED FORCES HAD NOT BEGUN TO WITHDRAW FROM THE DRC FRONTLINES AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO. CHIKOROWONDO STATED THAT THE MONUC REPORT IN QUESTION WAS FROM THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF THE DISENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT BEGAN IN MID-MARCH. THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 01168 291404Z REPORT HAS SINCE BEEN OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS AS THE ALLIED FORCES ARE WITHDRAWING ON SCHEDULE, AND WILL COMPLETE THEIR 15 KM PULLBACK IN KATANGA BY THE MARCH 29 DEADLINE, THE PAO ASSERTED. HE ALSO REMARKED THAT INITIALLY THERE HAD BEEN SOME CONFUSION OVER THE WITHDRAWAL OF FORCES FROM PWETO, BUT THAT HAS SINCE BEEN RESOLVED. MONUC HAS YET TO CONFIRM THE PULLBACK OF BEMBA'S FORCES IN EQUATEUR, PROBABLY BECAUSE BEMBA HAS NOT YET GIVEN THE ORDER TO WITHDRAW, CHIKOROWONDO ADDED. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: KABILA'S VISIT TO ZIMBABWE APPEARED TO HAVE HAD THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: 1) TO THANK ZIMBABWE FOR ITS INTERVENTION IN THE DRC, 2) TO ASSUAGE ZIMBABWEAN CONCERNS ABOUT ITS CONTINUED PARTICIPATION, AND MOST IMPORTANT, 3) TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT KABILA WOULD SPEND A LARGE BLOCK OF HIS LIMITED TIME HERE CONSULTING WITH MINISTERS WITH EXTRACTIVE-SECTOR PORTFOLIOS AND THE INDIGENOUS BUSINESS COMMUNITY. ACCORDING TO OUR CONTACTS, THE CEO OF METROPOLITAN BANK, WHO IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE INDIGENOUS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, HOSTED THE BREAKFAST MEETING. IT INVOLVED ONLY MEMBERS WITH STRONG TIES TO ZANU-PF, AND NO MEMBERS OF THE WHITE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ATTENDED. THESE MEETINGS, COUPLED WITH THE OVER-THE-TOP RECEPTION OF PRESIDENT KABILA BY PUTTING HIM ON THE SAME PLANE AS NELSON MANDELA, UNDERSCORE THE GOZ'S MAIN PURPOSE FOR ITS COSTLY INVOLVEMENT IN THE DRC. END COMMENT. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 01168 291404Z CONFIDENTIAL >